Miraculous Responsibilties
by KaliAnn
Summary: Part 2 of S2 trilogy. As the mission to stop Hawkmoth continues, Marinette and Adrien learn there are a lot of unexpected responsibilities for being a Miraculous wielder. Also, Peace Keeper continues her quest to find all the missing Miraculouses and bring them home to Master Fu. Will they all succeed or fail their new responsibilities?
1. Recap

**Welcome to the second part of the Season Two trilogy. I hope you enjoy this story. Remember to read and review.**

* * *

It was never very quiet at the UN Building. People were always walking very fast to meetings, offices, or even just down to the cafeteria to eat. When working to bring the world together in harmony you had to be able to move quickly on your feet.

As usual, there were a lot of different crises having to be dealt with. Key events included, an attempt to end the escalation of military action in southern Syria, which was displacing thousands of people, who were heading to the Jordanian Border. With the escalating violence over the Golan Heights, this was increasing the likelihood of massive loss of life.

Another crises was the USA withdrawing from the Human Rights Council after Ambassador Nikki Haley stated it was a, "protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias." That was a reference to other countries, which belonged to the council who had violated human rights before. However, the withdraw of the USA meant that there wasn't enough united power to make these countries enact change of what they believed was their government's policies and not international ones.

Also, there were serious talks about holding the Trump administration accountable for torture over the zero tolerance immigration policy. The separation of children from their parents was seen by many as inhumane and could cause psychological trauma. There was also remarks about how even legal immigrants seeking asylum were being sent immediately back to their dangerous countries. If the UN did go ahead on this issue, it was sure to drive the reigning USA government from the United Nations.

In other countries, such as South Sudan, there was hope a new female chief, who was working with the UN to help stop the violence against women, and hopefully, lead to the end of the civil war there. In multiple Asian countries, there were problems of stopping ethnic cleansings, and dealing with unbalanced issues of government power.

The UN was used to having to deal with multiple crises at once. Even when one area was having trouble, another would be doing much better. The only real problem for the UN Security Council, was where they should send their "secret weapon" aka Peace Keeper. It was difficult for the Council to agree on what assignment had the most priority. In order to help the Security Council she needed to be deployed where her skills would be most useful.

* * *

Since her return a few weeks ago from Paris the young woman had been sent out on multiple missions, sometimes even going to two different countries in one day. Tension and tempers were rising and she was putting out several fires before they became raging infernos. It was putting a real strain on her health.

At the moment, Peace Keeper, was being checked out by her doctor in her private infirmary. Dr. Calzone, an older gentlemen with salt and pepper hair, brown eyes, and medium toned skin, had been sworn to secrecy thirty one years ago, to never reveal his patient's existence. He had been the primary doctor during Peace Keeper's development and subsequent life afterwards. He was one of the kinder handlers/adult supervisor, the young woman had growing up.

Dr. Calzone listened to Peace Keeper's heart and lungs listening for sounds of trouble. He checked her reflexes, muscle strength, and had her do some balance tests. After running a few more tests, he looked over the results as his patient sat in a chair waiting for the results.

"You're muscles are starting to show signs of being strained and your reflexes have slow down slightly. It would seem your lungs and heart are okay, but they also sounded slightly strained. The rest of the tests have the same results," Dr. Calzone told her in a patient gravely tone.

"You're exhausted my dear. Your body is overworked by doing too much in a short period of time. You need to rest and take it easy for a few weeks." The man locked eyes with Peace Keeper, giving her a stern glare. "If you don't, your body will continue to get worse and you might end up passing out."

Peace Keeper ran her fingers through her hair before giving her doctor a patient look."Dr. Calzone, you and I both know, the Security Council will give me three days at the most to relax before I'm sent on another mission. Not even you could persuade them to change their minds."

Dr. Calzone nodded slightly. He was a stubborn man and would advocate for his patient medical needs. The UN Security Council would take his recommendation, but usually they put the world before Peace Keeper's health. She was created to serve the world after all.

Peace Keeper saw how sad her doctor was. He was genuinely concerned for her health. "Perhaps, I can ask for missions that don't require a lot of physical activity. Even if I'm working, I can still take it easy," she suggested.

"I'll let them know. You should be hearing from someone later this afternoon about what the Council decided. Try to get some rest before then." Patting her on the head, her doctor left the underground bunkers and took the secret elevator back up to the main building.

After changing into her civilian wear, Ning tried to rest. She knew she needed to sleep, but her mind wouldn't shut down. Pulling out the magic box she had received from Master Fu, she ran her fingers over the designs again, memorizing the pattern of the temple in her mind.

Master Fu had entrusted her with this box in order to complete her quest. Find all the missing Miraculouses and bringing them to his home. It would be a huge undertaking. Even her globetrotting might not be enough, considering she didn't know where the Miraculous were or what they looked like. She wasn't sure how many existed.

Looking at her left palm, she felt the hidden mark stirring, but it didn't burn or show itself. The mark was supposed to guide her when she got close to the Miraculouses, but so far nothing.

Around five o clock someone came down to her bunker. It was the United Kingdom representative of the Security Council. Ning stood straight and tall ready to fulfill any mission given to her. "What are my orders sir?"

"We would like you go to UN liaison office in Japan. They are increasing pressure to be allowed as a permanent member of the Security Council. Due to recent events in both Koreas, the country is doing its best to implement this change while one of the opposing countries is preoccupied."

The UK representative noticed Peace Keeper clenched her left fist for a few seconds, but decided it wasn't important. "The Security Council agreed with Dr. Calzone recommendation, for your health sake, you need to do a few low priority missions. You are to stay in Japan until we decide where to send you next. Understand?"

Ning nodded and resisted the urge to clench her fist again. The mark was starting to get hotter. After a few more details and deciding what alias to use, the UK representative left. She had only two hours to prepare for her mission.

Looking down at her palm the mark was visible. Above the mark in English were the letters HMC. "Humanities Miraculous Circle. The rest of Honorra's kin must be in somewhere in Japan. Looks like my quest has just begun."

* * *

Over in Paris; it was eleven pm. Marinette was in her bedroom, trying to sleep, but she was feeling too restless to slumber. She punched her kitty cat pillow and flopped back down on her bed.

The teen girl changed positions several times, but still sleep eluded her. Throwing her blanket off, she walked down her stairs to her room below. Tikki, who had be sleeping in her little bed, opened her eyes to see what was making the noise.

"Mari…nettte, why are you up? I thought you wanted to go to sleep early so you would be on time for school tomorrow remember?"

"I can't fall asleep Tikki. I'm just feeling restless I guess. I just don't know why," the teenager moaned as she flopped onto her chaise. Again, she closed her eyes to sleep, but her body refused to let her.

Tikki yawned and told Marinette to go drink some warm milk. The kwami was tired. Hawkmoth had been busy the last few weeks making Akumas, not doubt to test how strong the Miraculous duos defensive powers happened to be. They had fought an Akuma earlier in the day, a guy called Road Rage, and it had taken a great deal of time to stop him.

Tikki rolled over in her bed and went back to sleep. Marinette did as Tikki suggested, but the milk didn't help. It was actually an urban myth that milk contained amino acids to help you sleep, it was actually the psychological effect of remembering simpler times, which helped the person sleep after drinking it.

With sleep alluding her, Marinette turned on her computer to see if she could find other remedies to sleep. Clicking through the webpages, she felt her eyelids closing. Finally, she was going to fall to sleep. She dragged herself to her bed and waited for her body to drift off.

Unfortunately, her body suddenly felt wide awake. She groaned as she felt her eyelids stop feeling heavy. "Why can't I fall asleep? I'm going to be late to class again!" She tried several positions in her bed or on her chaise only to add to her frustration. Grabbing her pillow, she marched downstairs and finally fell asleep on the couch at one a.m.

She wasn't the only one who was having a difficult time sleeping. Adrien kept waking up almost every hour of the night. He would be dreaming and the wake up for no reason. He would then go back to sleep and the same thing would happen in about an hour.

By one a.m. he was exhausted and tired of waking up. He glanced at his Kwamii and envied Plagg's ability to sleep like the dead. If only he had inherited a cat's napping abilities, he wouldn't be struggling like this.

He got out of his bed and walked over to his windows, gazing at the world below. Paris was beautiful at nighttime. The street lamps dotted the city making it appear as if the stars were taking a break from the sky and enjoying the sites of the city.

Pressing a hand to the glass, Adrien thought about the last few months. Since his father had allowed him to go to school he felt for the first time he was part of city. No longer was the world outside beyond his reach. He had seen and done so much as Chat Noir. He still wanted to see and do more.

Maybe that's why he couldn't stay asleep. There was a whole other world out there and anytime he left the mansion, he learned more about it. Looking at his Miraculous his mind drifted to Peace Keeper and her quest. Traveling all over the world to find lost Miraculouses without any knowledge of where they could be or how many there were. It was an adventure of the lifetime.

Sighing, Adrien went back to his bed and fell asleep. He smiled in his sleep. Dreaming about traveling the world and finding treasure.

* * *

When morning arrived, Adrien could barely drag himself out of bed, and get ready for his busy schedule. He walked like a zombie down the stairs and into the dining room for breakfast. Nathalie took one look at Adrien and asked, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Some. Yawn. I was restless last night for some reason and I yawn, didn't get much."

Nathalie pushed her glasses back up as the teenager slid into his seat and slowly started eating his breakfast. "Did you have something on your mind last night?"

The blond shook his head. He didn't know why he was restless last night. All he knew it was going to be a long day and would need to force himself to stay awake. The teenager was actually very surprised when Nathalie went into the kitchen and came back with a Coke can.

"You're father prefers coffee for when he's had a late night, but I bought a few sodas with caffeine in them, for these occasions. This is not a regular thing Adrien. You know how your father feels about these drinks," the assistant told him sternly.

Adrien nodded, knowing his father might actually pass out, if he found out that his son drank a soda. Still, it was better than falling asleep in the middle of class. He savored the drink and thanked Nathalie before he headed off to school.

After Adrien left, Nathalie went to Mr. Agreste's office. The man was already up and working on his newest designs. He had just started to sketch when Nathalie walked into the room. "Is everything alright with Adrien?" the man asked without looking up from his sketchpad.

"Adrien didn't sleep well last night. He was restless and he looked as if he could fall asleep on his feet in the middle of the day. I gave him one can of soda to help him get through the day. I stressed this wouldn't be a common thing."

Mr. Agreste mouth thinned in displeasure, but didn't say anything. He hoped Adrien wouldn't be so restless again. He needed to be perfect. "I see. I'll let it slide this one time, but if it happens again tomorrow, no caffeine."

Nathalie nodded and went over the schedule for the day. She reminded him of a few meetings he had and that he needed to approve of a few designs from his senior staff. "Sir, I have a small suggestion. I believe that Adrien's restlessness might have been influenced by your Akuma yesterday. It was a rather long fight and most of the citizens were in heightened state of fear for several hours. Perhaps you shouldn't make an Akuma today?"

Again, Mr. Agreste's mouth thinned. His assistant was stepping over the line today. She should know better than to tell him what to do. Still, if she had resorted to giving his son caffeine to keep him functioning, he supposed one day wouldn't be a problem. "I'll take your advice today Nathalie. However, don't overstep your position again understand?" His assistant nodded and he dismissed her.

* * *

At school, Nino was talking with Adrien, who seemed very peppy today. "Okay, what's up dude? I don't think I've ever seen you this jittery." He took his hat off and scratched an itch he had on his head before putting his hat back on. He couldn't believe that Adrien had actually _skipped_ over to him for their daily talk.

Adrien grinned at him. "I guess I'm a little jittery. I didn't get much sleep last night and I was a zombie. Nathalie gave me a soda to help perk me up so I could make it through the day. I've never had soda before."

Nino's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You haven't had a soda before? No wonder you're so jittery. You're on a caffeine high. Just try to keep it together okay? I doubt you want any trouble from your old man."

Adrien shivered at the thought of his father getting mad at him for drinking one soda. No, that wasn't something he wanted to encounter. "Let's get to class and hope I don't get overly jittery."

In the classroom, Chloe was waiting by his desk and conspicuous at Marinette, who also seemed to be a bit jittery today. She must have had a lot of caffeine if she didn't even notice Chloe.

"Hey Chloe, what's up?"

"Adrikins! I'm so glad to see you. I have the best news! My daddy got me a new TV. Its larger then my old one with clearest pictures ever seen. The sound is perfect and best of all its gold encrusted. Why don't you come over tomorrow and watch the style channel with me?" Chloe battered her eyelashes and gave him a demure smile.

She inched a bit closer to him. He leaned back a little, not liking her in his personal space. "Your new TV sounds wonderful Chloe, but I have Chinese lessons tomorrow and then piano practice later. If I have a free day, I'll let you know."

Chloe frowned, but took her seat. At least Adrien wasn't ditching her for his "girlfriend" Marinette. Honestly, she didn't know what he saw in her. The little commoner must have bewitched him because why else would Adrien date _her?_ All she had to keep doing was getting in between them and Adrien would dump Marinette like the trash she was.

Ms. Bustier entered the classroom smiling at her students. "Good morning class. I have an exciting treat for all of you today. Instead of studying classical literature, we will be reading and discussing modern day books and how they use classic themes to interest modern readers for the whole month.

I had a lot of books to choose from, many of them book series because that is one way to carry a classical theme to ensure more readers. I finally decided on a book by a famous American writer, Rick Riordan. He's been reviewed as highly skilled writer who mixes myths of different cultures with modern times. We'll be reading his first book, "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief," for next two weeks."

Nathanial raised his hand and Ms. Bustier called on him. "Will we be just reading one book or the five books in the series?" His classmates looked at him in surprise. They knew Nathanial loved art, but didn't know he liked to read.

"I'm afraid we'll only be able to read the first two books in the series Nathanial. Everyone though, is allowed to read the other books by the author, during their free time. They can be found in both the schools and public libraries. Alix, will you come down and distribute the books please?"

Marinette looked at the book she had been given. On the cover was a teenager standing in the middle of a bay holding a lightning bolt and aiming it at the Empire State Building in the background. Turning the book over, she read the synopsis.

It was a very exiting synopsis. It was about the title character discovering his godly heritage and a quest to save his mom and find the missing lightning bolt. With a three hundred and seventy five pages, it was sure to be an exciting book.

Adrien couldn't believe it. A modern book with quests and dangers with cool details and mythological characters? This is the kind of book he would want to read if his father let him choose his own books for his library. He couldn't wait get started on this book.

"Please read the first two chapters and we'll begin a discussion for the last part of the class. Remember to be quiet and write down examples you find of classical quest content."

The students opened their books and started reading. By the third page nearly the whole class was entranced by the first person narrative of Percy as he used a ballpoint pen turned sword to slay his pre-algebra teacher and later in chapter two seeing three woman making socks with yarn and cutting the string symbolizing the loss of a life.

* * *

While Marinette and Adrien were enjoying their assigned reading at Master Fu's, the old man was attending to his clients. In his apartment, Wayzz was looking over the Miraculous Book again while Honorra ate some rice pudding. The little magpie energy levels had begun to stabilize, but she still needed to eat constantly to keep them stable.

"Have you found anything useful yet?" she asked curiously, carefully cleaning her face.

Wayzz sighed, "If I had, don't you think I would mention it out loud?"

Honorra shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of her pudding. "I don't know cousin. We've only known each other for a few weeks. I haven't exactly figured you out yet." She giggled a bit before her expression turned serious.

"I understand we need to find ways to keep Hawkmoth from unlocking Nooroo's full power until he can be rescued. At the same time, I need to know what happened to my "siblings". If my Circle was complete once more, who knows what extra fire power we have."

Wayzz pointed out that even if they retrieved her Circle, there was no guarantee they would be in any condition to fight. Besides, it was dangerous to have so many Miraculouses active in one place.

"Fine, you're right and I'm wrong," Honorra tweeted and looked down at the floor. She was quiet for a few minutes before she spoke up again interrupting Wayzz research. "Do you recall how many Miraculouses there are?"

"For the last time no! Until we figure out the riddles to view information on other Circles, we're left in the dark." He huffed in exasperation before phasing into the fridge to eat his breakfast in peace.

Honorra started to preen her feathers to help her calm down her stress levels. Why did Wayzz have to be so difficult? So what if he was the Great Guardian's kwami? That didn't mean he couldn't be pleasant. So she asked a lot of questions, big deal.

"I was stuck between life and death for over a century. I just want someone to talk with," she groused to herself. Floating up, the little kwami wondered what she could do to entertain herself. Master Fu would be extremely upset if she went into his workspace while he was with a client. Wayzz obviously didn't want to talk to her and the kids were at school.

"If I turn on the TV, the client might hear it and then I would be in trouble. I could study the Miraculous Book. No, Wayzz will get upset with me." The little kwami was about to give up and take a long nap, when she noticed Master Fu's computer was still on.

Honorra's feathers shined brightly as she excitedly sat next the keyboard. This new technology was fascinating. The Guardian had been using the computer to help him in his research and keeping in touch with his Apprentice.

He had also used it a few times to show her the wonders of the centuries she missed and modern day items. Now was the perfect time to learn more about this world on her own. She quickly connected to the Internet before going to Google. She typed in what she wanted to learn and then sat on the desk reading and looking at pictures of the world.

At noon, Master Fu finished with his last client and closed up after him. He had been taking the afternoon hours off so he had more time to figure out the Miraculous Book. He had been looking into new things to help them in the fight against Hawkmoth. So far, he had deciphered a few spells and was working on the transformation recipes.

Entering his apartment, he saw Honorra on the computer and she was giggling. A glance at the screen displayed a funny cat video. The old man smiled gladly. "I see you are enjoying the wonders of the modern world."

Honorra nodded as she disconnected from the Internet and shut down the computer. "I've learned so much today. I learned about the history of Korea and then I learned about modern entertainment. There are so many funny videos on YouTube."

The old man chuckled. He also loved watching funny videos online. An old soul like his needed to feel joy occasionally. He looked around for Wayzz, who had phased out of the fridge and was studying the Book once more. The turtle kwami kept flipping the pages before coming back to one page in particular.

Master Fu asked if Wayzz had found something interesting. "Perhaps. It appears there was a contingency plan in place if a Guardian died before being able to collect all their Miraculouses or didn't get back to the temple."

Both Master Fu and Honorra eyebrows rose upon hearing this. Master Fu sat down and started reading the page. His decoding abilities had gotten a lot better recently so Wayzz didn't have to help him so much. It was a good thing too, considering there were pages in the Book that Kwamiis shouldn't read at all.

According to the page if a Guardian died or failed to reach the temple, the Miraculouses would chose a Keeper. A Keeper was someone who took care of the Miraculouses until another Guardian or Apprentice came to claim them. Each Keeper would have a test of some kind to prove the person seeking them was a Guardian or Apprentice.

The Keepers couldn't use the Miraculouses at all and the job would pass through generations depending on how long it would take a person to retrieve them. Each test had a rating. There were tests showing a person was trustworthy, or, had to face some kind of challenge, or defeat a bad person.

"This information will be valuable to Ning during her quest. Hopefully we can contact her and tell her about the Keepers and their tests. Honorra, please go order us some lunch from a delivery service. Wayzz, I'll need some extra pillows and my back brace. I have a feeling this is going to take some time."

* * *

A day and half later, Ning had finally awakened in her hotel room. There was a thirteen hour time difference between New York City and Tokyo. She had managed to sleep for a few hours on the plane ride and then a lot more in hotel room, but she was still exhausted. Dr. Calzone was right about her needing to rest.

For this trip, Ning had transformed herself into a UN attaché, named Milina Brantiti, a Serbian American, who represented the United Kingdom's UN representative. She had altered her appearance to have the right facial structure, hair, and height, but wore professional clothes in an American style, making sure they were the appropriate color for doing business in Japan. She practiced her accent making sure she had the right blend of Serbian with a touch of American.

Today, she would be meeting Mr. Koro Bessho, the Japanese Permanent Representative to UN. Mr. Bessho had returned to Tokyo, to give a lecture at his alma mater, The University of Tokyo. The school had a great reputation for having graduates getting involved with the UN after they completed their education. Many of Japans most powerful men and women studied here.

Making sure her hair was tied back and she didn't have any jewelry on, she squared her shoulders ready for this mission. Ms. Brantiti left her hotel and headed to The University of Tokyo. It was an impressive building. She loved the Giant Red Gate in the front and it was very serene as she walked through the botanical gardens to the main building for Law and Political students.

Following the signs, she reached the lecture hall and sat down in the back. She studied Mr. Bessho as he spoke to the students about his success as an ambassador to Korea until his current posting. His spoke with passion and projected a friendly disposition. He was encouraging to the students, reminding them it took a lot of dedication to succeed in a competitive field. He also mentioned having a passion for what you do is the real drive to success.

Intelligent, passionate, and engaging, all the right traits to be a top notch member of UN. No wonder the Korean government found him easy to work with she thought to herself.

He also seemed respectful towards working women. Working in the UN has opened his mind slightly to woman working in high level positions. I can use that to my advantage because he'll listen carefully to what I have to say. This will help with my mission to discuss the topic at hand.

When the lecture was over, she carefully approached Mr. Bessho, reminding herself she had called an hour earlier and he asked her to meet him here. When she was in his line of sight, she spoke up while bowing. "Mr. Bessho, I am the UN attaché Ms. Milina Brantitii. I serve the UK representative in the Security Council."

There a tiny bit of an eyebrow raised by Mr. Bessho. He had known Ms. Braniti could speak Japanese. He didn't expect her to speak it flawlessly with only a slight accent.

"It is an honor to meet you Ms. Brantiti. I have another appointment to attend at two."

"I'm aware of that sir. I promise this meeting will end before then. Shall, I join you in the car for a ride to your office?" The man agreed and the two of them rode to his home office.

It pleased him how aware Ms. Brantiti was of business etiquette. She waited to be told where to sit and greeted his staff in descending order. From her briefcase, she took out printed material in both Japanese and English.

"Mr. Bessho, the Security Council is aware of your actions to increase pressure for reformation of said council. Let me assure you; the permanent members are taking the matter seriously," she assured him with a serious expression on her face. The young woman was doing her best to remain perfectly still. How she conducted herself during this meeting would effect the outcome.

"I believe what you are saying Ms. Brantiti. I am aware of the Security Council's current activities about the reform. It would be an honor if Japan becomes a permanent member. An Asian culture on a permanent basis would help with understanding international crises on the continent. If both Koreans are willing to work towards a reunification goal, then Japan will be there to help support the change."

The discussion continued as the two of them worked out details about what Japan should be doing and how much influence an attaché could use to help further their goal. The issue of reforming the Security Council could be brought up again in two months, once the UN was certain all parties involved would be level headed.

Mr. Bessho continued to press for an earlier time. He pointed out with the many crises increasing globally, it would make sense to add new permanent members to the Security Council. A consensus of what action should be taken during crises would take less time to reach. Another advantage was if they let Japan join full time, their fellow reformers could also gain full time representation.

"Mr. Bessho, I assure you the United Nations is taking your ideas for reformation very seriously. Two of the five permanent Security Council members already support this motion. I will bring up the urgency of your request once I'm back in the United States."

"Thank you Ms. Brantiti. I am honored we could come to an agreement. I hope to hear news on your progress very soon." After saying respectful goodbyes, the UK attaché followed her escorts out towards the parking lot where a private car would take her back to her hotel.

They were heading to the elevator, when the mark on her left hand started to burn. Glancing around, she tried to figure out what was causing it. She couldn't see anything that might be a clue for her to follow. The mark kept burning more the closer she got towards the elevator.

"Please stop for a moment. I'm suddenly very parched. Can I have some water please?" One of the escorts nodded ducking into a break room and coming back with some water. Drinking the water slowly, the disguised agent glanced around until her eyes spotted a small painting on the wall near the elevator.

It was a picture of Aokigahara Forest Park, the Sea of Trees, on the northwest area of Mount Fuji. The park was a welcomed escape from the city. From what she read; there were miles of walking trails, abundance of wild life, and the dense forest and pools of lava absorbed sound making it a very quiet place to visit.

The forest also had another name that was highly renowned outside the country. It was also known as the Suicide Forest. According to folklore the forest was home to yūrei, spirits of the dead. Over the years many people had attempted or committed suicide there. It was why the park had signs all over it advertising for guests to contact suicide prevention hotlines.

By now the mark had increased in heat and intensity. "Forgive me, but this is my first time in Japan. I have heard wonderful stories about the Aokigahara Forest Park. Is it close by?"

"Aokigahara is two hours from here. There are many tour buses which go there or we can give you directions to use, if you would like to visit during your stay in our country," one of the escorts informed her. She responded she would be delighted to have directions.

* * *

The next morning, Ms. Brantiti rented a car, gather supplies and drove to the forest. The closer she got to the park, the more her palm burned. "Enough, I know I have to go to the forest. I really wish this pain would go away."

After two hours she finally reached the parking lot. She undid her seatbelt and looked at her left palm. The mark was now pulsating and shined red. Strangely, the mark was overlapped with compass points. "They must be for helping me find my way to where the rest of Honorra's siblings are."

As she was hefting her backpack on, Wayzz's Kwami Charm startled to sparkle. Clutching the charm, she focused her mind, reaching out to connect with Wayzz. She felt his calm and kind mind answering her back. Soon they were connected.

 _"Wayzz, is everything okay? Is Master Fu hurt?"_

 _"I assure you Master Fu is in good health other than his back. What about you?"_

 _"I'm exhausted, but otherwise I'm fine. Is there a reason you contacted me? I'm in Japan right now and I have a lead to find the rest of Honorra's siblings."_

 _"That's the reason we're contacting you. We've discovered the lost Miraculouses are protected by Keepers, people chosen by the Miraculouses to protect them, until a Guardian or Apprentice comes to reclaim them._

 _You must be careful when you meet these Keepers. They will test you to determine if you are who you claim to be. There tests have three ratings. Trustworthy, Challenge, or Bad."_

 _"Do you know exactly what the tests are or who the Keepers are?"_

 _"No. We'll help you as much as we can, unfortunately you are on your own for the actual tests. Good luck."_

 _"Thanks, see if you can get Tikki to send me some."_

"Mirna" let go of the Kwami Charm and steadied herself. Wayzz's information was helpful. It also changed the parameters for the quest. Somehow she had to find this Keeper and pass a test with knowing anything. If there was one thing that irritated her, it had to be going on a mission without any facts.

After, checking the compass points on her palm, the young woman started walking through the park, heading for one of the longest hiking paths. When she reached the entrance, there was a ton of trash littering the ground. Pulling out some work gloves and a two bags, the disguised agent started to clean the place up.

As she cleaned the grounds, she felt like someone was watching her. She ignored it, there were a lot of visitors and many would stare at someone cleaning up the park lands. Once she finished, she placed one bag in the trash, the other in the recycle bin. Again, she got the feeling she was being watched. Like before there were a lot of visitors around her. No one's body language indicated they had hostile intentions towards her.

Pulling out some colored rope, she knotted it around a branch, before starting her trek. It was easy to get lost in Aokigahara even with trail guides. It was common practice for hikers to bring colored tape or rope, and hang it somewhere on the trail to show them the way back.

The path was very steep and it curved in several places making it difficult to remember which direction was the way back. Other trails intersected with this one. Whenever "Mirna" came to a crossroad she checked her compass mark to see the way she needed to go.

A few hours later, the path disappeared completely. The compass/mark burned hotter, indicating the quest was not over yet. Taking a deep breath, the Apprentice continued on trusting the mark to lead her to the Keeper. It was leading her further into the forest and away from any paths.

It was late afternoon when she reached a small clearing with a simple Shinto shrine for spirits, standing in the middle. It was in good condition despite being way out in the wilderness. It was very quiet, even more than she expected as she couldn't even hear the insects buzzing anymore.

The spiritual energy here is high. I can almost taste the spirits encompassing me. Only a few positive most of them seem negative. Could they be yūrei? The hair on back of her neck stood up. Twisting around, she came face to face with a young Shinto Priestess.

She was short and there was a scar on her arm. Her amber colored eyes pierced into a person's soul and her short brown hair flared in the wind. Her expression was stern with only a tiny hint of curiosity.

Her hand shot out and grabbed "Mirna" left hand, twisting the wrist to look at the mark on her palm. The mark burned with such intensity the UN agent wondered if she would end up with a scar.

The priestess spoke with a voice which sounded older than her years. "You are the one the Kwamiis chose for this quest? The little spirits have been known to be wrong before. Who do you claim to be?"

"I'm the Apprentice of the Great Guardian of the Universal Miraculous Circle." Removing the magic box from her backpack, she showed it to the priestess. The priestess ignored the magic box in favor of studying her.

"If you are an Apprentice as you claim, my task as Keeper, is to protect the Miraculous Circle, from anyone who tries to claim them without passing my test."

"I accept. What do I need to do to pass your test?"

This time there was an eerie smile on the priestess's face. "This place is haunted by yūrei of everyone who has committed suicide in this park. The shrine was built to offer peace for them. The shrine holds them back in the day, but at night, they are free to do as they wish.

My test is a challenge. You must stay here all night, without any supplies, save for your magic box. If you can resist the spirits words, you will have shown your humanity to myself and them. Only then will I give you what you seek."

Spend a night in a deadly forest as ghost whispered taunts to kill herself without giving in? It certainly would be a challenge, one she was ready to take on. Without hesitation, she gave the priestess her backpack. The woman promised to return in the morning to see if she had passed the test.

With only a few hours before nightfall Peace Keeper built herself a lean to from fallen branches. She walked a little ways and found a stream. Dipping her hands into the water, she drank her fill. She couldn't make a fire and she only found a handful of edible berries.

Night fell quickly and this deep into the forest, there was nothing to light up the area so Peace Keeper was in pitch black darkness. There would be no way to know if a hungry animal was out here hunting.

Worse, she could now see the ghostly spirits, a mix of blue and white. They clustered around the edges of the clearing. Their ghostly wailing becoming understandable.

The ghosts finally realized someone was near their shrine, a living person. The spirits rushed over to the lean to and started circling it. Peace Keeper clutched Wayzz's charm, praying it would lend her spiritual strength. The air was chocked with maliciousness and despondency.

The first spirit attacked diving near her face. _"You are tired, so very tired of the world. Why not end it?"_

Another spirit came from behind whipping through her fake hair nearly dislodging the wig. _"Honor, honor, honor, do you really believe you can live up to expectations of honor set by others?"_

Two spirits came at her from the sides. _"Blood, you have so much to give, why keep it inside?"_

" _Hang yourself, let your brain go numb, it's the right thing to do."_

"No, I won't give in. I have a good life. Why would I want to end it?"

More ghosts descended upon her. Images of their deaths bombarded her. Hangings, stab wounds to the heart, some had assistance. Their despair and anger at the world flooded into her, her own emotions beginning to twist and turn.

" _Join us. You're soul wants to be free. No more pain or problems."_

" _You're going to die someday, why not tonight by your own hand? Isn't that preferable to die from some accident?"_

" _Suicide is honored here. It is not seen as a crime. We have thousands of rituals of why suicide is a better option to living."_

" _Who wants to go on a ridiculous quest? You are not meant for this world. Come enter the next one."_

Peace Keeper was shivering. The cold air was making her lose heat. The ghosts words started to penetrate her soul. Perhaps it would be better to leave this world behind. Nothing she did mattered anyways. The world would never know peace only destruction.

NO! That is not true! I _will_ achieve my dream one day. I _will_ complete this quest. More significantly I _will_ become the Great Guardian of all the Miraculous and follow in Master Fu Wang's footsteps!

Her positive energy pushed back against the negative energy. The images of death stopped playing in her mind. She regained control of her emotions. She started to pray, to any god or spirit, to protect her from harm.

* * *

When morning came, the priestess entered the clearing, carrying a large glass case filled with seven accessories. The elephant watch and panda chain looked exactly like the ones from Peace Keepers dream. A brass belt buckle with a sable deer rested next to a calico colored glasses shaped like a painted dog's head. A chartreuse parasol with a gold camel top took up the most space. There was a blue wallet with a pink salmon stitched on it, which looked even smaller compared to the grey and black satchel with a genet on the flap.

Peace Keeper was already up and waiting for the priestess. Her mark was flashing as the Miraculouses came closer to her. "I have survived the night honorable priestess. I did not give in to the spirits of the dead."

"I can see that, just as I saw you yesterday demonstrating other qualities of the Humanities Circle when cleaning up the garbage. These belong to you Apprentice." The woman carefully opened the glass case.

Gently, Peace Keeper took them out, one by one, and placed them inside the box. It was indeed magical, changing size and creating slots for the Miraculous. "Were there any charms attached to these items?"

The priestess reached into her sleeve, taking out a small bag. She rattled it to prove the Kwami Charms were in there. The agent took the bag, checked inside, before putting it in the box. The shelf sank back into the box as a new one took its place.

"There are many more Miraculouses out there. There will be other Keepers you will need to face. Your journey has just begun Apprentice. Stay strong and believe in yourself. I believe the next part of your quest has revealed itself," the lady said as she pointed at Peace Keepers left palm.

Indeed the mark had changed. The compass points were gone and there was a new set of letters over the mark. This one read FMC. "I wonder what these F stands for? I'll find out soon enough."

Taking her supplies back, Peace Keeper started the long hike back to her rental car, wondering where she would be going next.


	2. Starting Point

**I know that Trixx in the show is male and has a different transformation phrase. However, when I originally added Trixx to my stories, he was identified, as a she, and no phrase was known at the time. I will not be changing what I have already written. Also, I will explain my reasons for why I believe Alya shouldn't have a miraculous at this point.  
**

* * *

Ning was sitting in her hotel room, technically Mirna Brantiti, was on the, with her secure computer. The young lady was waiting for a video conference from her bosses to find out if they had another mission for her or was she to return home. Hopefully any further missions would be to hard.

While she waited, she opened the magical box and looked at the Humanities Miraculous Circle. Each of them was intact and she could feel their Kwamiis inside, sleeping contently. She wondered how long they had been inactive. She had so many questions about this Circle.

"I should talk with Master Fu, I hope he's online." After securing a connection and masking her IP address, she contacted Master Fu. Within a few minutes she was looking at Master Fu who was in his pajamas. He looked very tired and it was night outside.

Ning slapped herself. "I forgot about the time difference! Oh eight a.m. here is one a.m. in Paris. I never would have made this mistake if I wasn't so exhausted."

"We all, yawn, make mistakes Ning. We, yawn, just have to learn, yawn, from them. Forgive my tiredness. I was sleeping when I heard the computer beeping. You had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to tell you I passed the test yesterday. I would have called you then, but after spending a night in the forest with spirits, I had a lot of business to take care for my regular job."

She showed each Miraculous, one by one, and told him what she sensed. She told him she had no idea how seven of these Miraculouses ended up in Japan while one was in Korea. Only that Japan and Korea had an interesting history together.

Master Fu stroked his goatee in thought. "It's very possible that Honorra's last wielder hid her Miraculous to prevent it being taken if the last Guardian of the Humanities Circle had been compromised in some way. It was known to happen in the past."

"We don't really know what happened to the Guardians of the other Circles," Ning pointed out. It was obvious that any other Miraculous Circles out there had been in service when the Order of the Guardians temple was attacked. Yet, it was strange how none of those Guardians had ever gone back to check for clues of where Master Fu went.

Tapping her finger to her chin she asked if it was possible that the person Master Fu shouldn't have trusted had also attacked the other Guardians. Did this person wield enough power to find Guardians hiding in plain sight? Perhaps even harm them seriously?

Master Fu frowned and his brow wrinkled even more. "The person I trusted, had a long reach in many different places. While I didn't know much about the other Circles or where they were, it's possible the person used a magic tracking spell to find them."

"You searched for the other Guardians after the attack I presume?" Getting conformation, she asked where had traveled to hoping there might be a clue in his stories.

Clues to help her find out where the lost Miraculous were, or possibly, how to avoid someone who had destroyed the temple. It had been over a hundred years, but the person could have a legacy carrying out the plans of their predecessor.

"I went all over to many different countries on all the continents. Yes, I even ended up in the Antarctica for a few weeks. Wayzz guided me to each place, trying to remember how many Guardians there were. A few times we sensed the spiritual energy similar to a kwami's, only to find nothing. Eventually I accepted I was the only remaining Guardian alive."

He looked very depressed as he recalled his own quest to find other like him. It was another similarity between him and Ning. He was the last of his occupation and she was the only one of hers. Both of them had been alone for a very long time before they found each other.

Looking down at her palm she saw the letters FMC still burned on her skin. She had come up with multiple abstract ideas that started with f. If only she could narrow it down. If she did, then she might have some idea where the next circle possibly could be.

Clearing her throat and adjusting the computer, she asked her mentor a question. "Master Fu, the next circle I have to look for starts with an F. Could you check the hidden pages to see what Circles start with F?" she asked. She recalled the list of the other Circles had been pretty faded except for the riddles to discover which pages held their information. Which why is was so hard to find how many other Circles existed or what they were.

Master Fu brought the Book over to the computer and opened the hidden pages. He scrolled his finger down the page until he came to a circle that had an F at the beginning. He squinted making out a few other letters.

"There are the letters f, n, s, and p. Can you think of a word which has those letters in that particular order?"

Ning thought about it for a few minutes before replying. "I believe the word is friendship. It is owwwwwwwww!" The mark flashed on her palm and burned red hot as it glowed gold.

The government agent went into the bathroom and shoved her left hand under the cold water pouring into the sink. It soothed her skin as the mark started to fade away before disappearing completely. Once the pain was gone, she went back into the main room.

"I really wish this mark would stop trying to burn me from the inside out," Ning muttered to her mentor as she laid out on the bed. The old man chuckled a bit as she gave him a glaring look. "It's not funny Master Fu. The pain is hard to deal with."

Wiping some tears from his face he nodded. "I know it is causing you pain. It's just when you complain you sound like a little child. It is amusing." He became serious once more. "Friendship is a very abstract idea. What makes two people friends? No one knows for sure my dear. It will take some time to figure out how many belong to this Circle as well as find out what they are."

Seeing that her pseudo grandfather was struggling to keep his eyes open Ning told him to go back to sleep. She promised to contact him around noon his time to see if he had learned anything new.

Stretching out on her bed, she looked at the Miraculouses she had one more time. How she craved to find a way to activate them. Meet the Kwamiis and learn all about them. Their genders, personalities, powers and food! To have someone to talk to instead of being alone on this quest.

Picking up the parasol, Ning wondered how anyone disguised this item. It was a very obvious and large object. Parasols had been popular in use for a long time so it wasn't an unusual accessory. It wasn't until the early twentieth century that someone had figured out how to invent one that collapsed and become smaller when not in use. So how had a holder hid this one when not in use?

Her fingers pushed a button on the handle and she watched in astonishment as the parasol in her hands shrank until it was the size of one the umbrellas you found in drinks. Pushing the button again, it returned to normal size. "This is an interesting trick. The wizard who created this was ahead of his time."

The other Miraculous didn't need an elaborate trick to disguise or ability to shrink. In the inactive state, they just looked like plain accessories. You would have never known that little gods inhabited these items or the magic they possessed. "I guess I could clean them up a bit. It's going to be a while before anyone contacts me again."

* * *

A few hours later, it was morning in Paris. It was a rare day off school. The Board of Education was meeting with all the city colleges' staff to discuss future changes and a lot of other boring school related stuff. Which meant, the students had a free day to do whatever they wanted to.

Well most of them did. Adrien's father had lined up back to back photo shoots for the whole day. Gabriel didn't believe in taking a day off and felt his son should follow the same work ethic. Adrien was less enthusiastic about his father's work ethic.

While he was waiting for hair and make-up Marinette arrived. She was biting her lip and checking her surroundings, making sure no one was in listening range. "I thought you said, you had today free," she whispered to him.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "So did I, but at the last minute Nathalie announced the change to my schedule. I was really looking forward to having some fun today. Nino invited me over to his house to listen to his new demo."

"What about the meeting with Master Fu later on today? Do you think you can make it?"

The blond shook his head. He pointed to the Gorilla and Nathalie, both were keeping their eyes locked on the couple, making sure they didn't do anything. "There's also a lot of security today because of how many shoots are happening. I can't get a break today."

There as a soft growl from Plagg, who was anything, but happy, he had to spend the entire day, in either Adrien's pocket or bag. "I'm never going to get to have any cheese with all these people around. How do you expect me to sleep with all those cameras going off? I would rather spend my time at the meeting, then endure photo shoots all day."

Tikki peeked out of the purse, careful to not be seen. "You know you shouldn't be away from your wielder. What if Hawkmoth releases an Akuma today? Besides, you're lazy, it's not as if you never lounge around doing nothing. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Plagg huffed unhappily and didn't say another word. Spying the stylist and make-up artist heading their way, Adrien told Marinette it was time for her to leave. As much as he liked having her at these photo shoots, with so many today, it wasn't ideal for his girlfriend to be here all day and distract him.

She whispered she would tell him what happened at the meeting later and left the area. The meeting with Fu was at 12:30 so she had some time until then. "Alya's babysitting her sisters today. I'm going to go over and give her a hand," she told Tikki.

She arrived at Alya's apartment to find her best friend trying to wrangle her little sisters in. "Etta! Ella! That's enough mischief making for today." Alya scooped up her sisters and set them down at the table. "I promise to take you two to the pool later if you behave."

"Yeah the pool!" Etta shouted.

"Fun, fun, fun!" Ella exclaimed.

Both girls giggled and started asking when they could go to the pool. Alya promised after lunch, reminding them, they needed to behave.

"Can we paint our nails before we go, please!" the twins begged in unison.

"As long as you do them in front of me and are careful not to drip any of the polish on the table." The twins giggled and headed into their room to get the polish.

Alya let out a sigh. "I love my sisters, but they can a bit much at times."

A small smile graced Marinette's lips. She always wanted to know what it was like to have a sibling. Watching Alya with her sisters was the closest she would get. "They're just little kids. Surely, they are that much trouble."

"Trust me Marinette. Even Ladybug would have trouble watching them." Brushing her hair out of her face Alya told her best friend, she wouldn't have anytime to hang out today. "I know you babysit Manon, but my sisters are twice the trouble then her. You should go work on a commission at home."

Marinette conceded defeat and left the apartment. So much for spending her free day with her friends. At the moment, she had nothing to design and her parents, didn't need her help at the bakery today. For a change, she was on top of all her homework. She literally had no responsibilities today.

Without anything to do, the bluenette decided to go to Master Fu's home and help him out until they could talk. She wanted to understand the aspect of PT Marinette's soul with running a business and managing Guardian duties at the same time.

* * *

When she arrived at Master Fu's, Marinette was surprised to find the place closed to business for today. Knocking, she entered the place and saw Master Fu, studying the Miraculous Book. Wayzz was drinking some tea and Honorra was reading an e-book on Master Fu's tablet.

"Marinette, you're early. I would have thought you would be spending your free day with your friends or designing," Master Fu kindly told her. His eyebrows raised in puzzlement at her early arrival.

"My friends couldn't hang out with me. They have other responsibilities today. Oh, Adrien can't join us for the meeting. He's got back to back photo shoots all day."

The Great Guardian hummed in disappointment."I see. You'll have to tell him what happened during our meeting. Right now, I have some good news." Before he could speak Honorra zipped over and started to dance in midair in front of Marinette's face.

"She found them! Ning found my Circle! My siblings are okay, just dormant!" The little magpie kwami was very exultant and cheering in glee. True to her personality, she became very serious. "While Master Fu's Apprentice has retrieved my Circle, we still don't understand why my old Miraculous was buried in Korea and the rest ended up in Japan."

"Indeed, it is a mystery, one which we may never have answers too. Too many years have passed with very little leads," Wayzz admitted. He wanted to know more about what happened to the other Guardians and Circles. He hoped when they found the other Circles he would get some answers.

Master Fu asked Marinette to sit. She scooted her cushion closer and accepted the tea offered to her. It was very sweet today. Putting her cup down she listened as Master Fu as he talked about Ning's quest and the new information he had gathered. The bluenette was stunned by how many different roles there were when it came to keeping the Miraculouses safe.

"Guardians, apprentices, wielders and keepers? That's a lot of responsibility for so many different groups. I guess, I'm lucky all I have to do, is use Tikki's powers to stop Hawkmoth once and for all."

Marinette took another sip of her tea and heard Tikki giggling as she munched down a giant cookie. The little kwami had a look of slight mischief making, while at the same time being proud about something. Wayzz had a grin on his face and Honorra looked at Marinette in puzzlement.

Tikki finished off her cookies before speaking to her wielder. "Marinette, you don't just have the responsibility of using my Miraculous to reclaim Nooroo, and fight Hawkmoth. Miraculous wielders do a whole lot more than being heroes and heroines."

"They do?" the bluenette asked in bewilderment. Her Ladybug responsibilities were taking up a lot of her time. She didn't think she could handle something new added to her list.

Noticing Marinette unsteady hands, Master Fu gently took the tea cup from her, so she wouldn't break it. He understood she felt overwhelm by the idea of taking on more responsibility. Anyone who ever encounter a Miraculous would be overwhelmed sooner or later.

"Miss Marinette, I have been where you are before. I can assure you the added responsibilities you take on, will not interfere with your current life very much."

The old man had a faraway look in his eyes. Memories of being a young boy at the temple, with his friends, assisting the Guardians and the few wielders, with their responsibilities. Master Zhu had first noticed him when he was helping a wielder with one of his responsibilities. The memory faded as his mind returned to the here and now.

"Ning follows a very different path then you or Adrien do. As my Apprentice, she must learn every aspect of the Miraculouses and duties, as a Guardian. As a wielder, your responsibilities are not any less important, but don't need the same commitment."

Honorra and Wayzz sat on little cushions on the table, joined by Tikki. Marinette got comfortable in her seat waiting for Master Fu to finish his tea. The old man put his tea down and plopped the Miraculous Book into his lap.

"When this Book was lost, all that the Order of the Guardians had were small tomes and a few loose pages. The Order had to relearn much, so much, every person involved needed to contribute to recovering lost knowledge.

Wielders were asked to keep journals chronicling all their heroics, new information about the Miraculous, or details on caring for their Kwamiis. The journal would be passed to next wielder, to help them during their time as the new wielder."

He paused for a moment. Marinette eyes had widen a bit. She already had a diary with some information about her days as Ladybug. A second journal devoted exclusively to that wouldn't be too hard to handle.

With a patient look, he continued with his speech. "While it is the Guardian's responsibility to choose a wielder and allot the Miraculouses, a wielder is responsible for bringing information about possible future wielders for the Guardian to select from. Many times an agreement must be reached by wielder, kwami, and Guardian before a Miraculous is allotted.

When wielders know about their Kwamiis Guardian, those chosen become bodyguards, protecting the Guardian at all cost from enemies, unless the Guardian has an Apprentice. You and Chat Noir, are the first line of defense should Hawkmoth come after me, but it will be Ning who would fight him and give her life if she had to, so I may escape.

Also, since you know about me, both of you are responsible for helping me with certain tasks. At times, I will have to teach you a few Guardian related duties when Ning isn't in Paris. Since you are already training with me, then we don't have to go through that."

Marinette was thinking about what he had said. Finding future wielders would be difficult. She also feared, Adrien would rush to a decision, and give someone not trustworthy a Miraculous. The other tasks made her apprehensive, especially where she might have to sacrifice her life in order to protect the Miraculouses. Leaving her loved ones behind if that happened, made her want to cry. Hopefully, it never would transpire.

* * *

Peace Keeper was in Tokyo International, waiting for a plane to take her to Noi Bai International in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Recently, the government and the UN had worked together to create cultural activity centers for children. Many of the local villages had contributed to the large scale project to give their children access to many opportunities they wouldn't have had.

Peace Keeper thought it was one of the greatest projects the UN had worked on. The next generation would not only be able to immerse themselves in their cultural identity, but also realize how cooperation with others was better than starting wars or constantly changing the government.

Since the dedication ceremony was a few days ago, the current UN Security Council President, wanted her to visit the capital, to ensure everything was running smoothly. These cultural centers were one part of a planned agreement to help Vietnam reach their goals of modernizing both rural and urban areas in the next few years.

"I haven't been to Vietnam since I was seven. I wonder how much of Hanoi has been changed over the years?" she muttered to herself. She was still in her disguise of Mirna Braniti, which she would maintain for her next few missions. According to the Security Council President, it would be a long time until she would return to New York City.

She reviewed her photographic memories of what she knew about Hanoi. The capital had a rich history of being the center of many takeovers, both by foreign and national parties. There were two French Quarters, several buildings in Chinese architecture style, and visitors would also be able to sample a few Japanese cuisine dishes.

It's really sad that so many different countries wanted to take over. Only because of the government reforms has Vietnam has made friends with 177 different countries she thought. Peace Keeper paused, mulling over what she had just thought of. From her studies she knew how difficult it was for many Asian countries, especially in the Southeast region of the continent had trouble being friendly enough with one another.

There were many legends across the continent of people who accomplished heroic feats. Some were even cautionary tales, which helped shape generations. Stories of dragons, manticores, and kappas causing troubles before they were defeated. So many different creatures, many who resembled a mix of different creatures.

"Those legends had to come from somewhere. While I know there is a dragon in the Chinese Zodiac, that kwami couldn't have possibly be the source of all legends in Asia."

Bringing up her left hand she stared at the faint letters. "Is the Friendship Miraculous Circle in mainland Asia?" The mark reappeared glowing softly. She asked another question. "Would I find them in Vietnam?"

Again the mark flashed and burnt a bit more. No doubt about it. The Friendship Miraculous Circle was somewhere in Vietnam. It was imperative for her to find other clues to help identify key facts to help narrow her search.

Her plane wouldn't arrive for another hour, so she once again opened her special computer and contacted Master Fu once more. It was about one p.m. in Paris. Hopefully, he had discovered something that would help.

The screen flickered and she saw both Fu and Marinette to her surprise. "Shouldn't you be in school Marinette? I hope you're not skipping today."

Marinette made a face. "No school today. The School Board is meeting with all the colleges' staff for some kind of meeting. I was hoping to spend some time with Alya or Adrien, but they're busy all day."

"I was informing her about additional duties for wielders a few minutes ago. We were going to attempt to figure out the riddle to learn more about the Friendship Miraculous Circle."

The riddle went like this. "The invisible night illuminates a world unseen. To show truth when it is hidden, use the colors of twilight to expose it."

All three them were puzzled by the riddle. A type of light that you couldn't see and it was the colors of twilight. What did that mean exactly? Even with Peace Keeper's extensive knowledge, the answer wasn't coming to her.

Marinette was tapping the table, her tongue stuck of her mouth. There was tickling sensation in the back of her mind. A light unseen and the colors of twilight. She snapped her fingers, "UV light! The answer is ultraviolet light. You can't see it, but when you use special black lights, the illumination comes out dark purple."

Peace Keeper frowned. While her answer appeared logical, the invention of black lighting to expose ultraviolet hadn't been invented until 1935. How could anyone make use of that in ancient times?

Master Fu spoke up to answer her unspoken question. "In my time at the temple, we didn't have any electricity, so we used fire or bioluminescent animals. The elders discovered by accident how to create, black light, as you call it, from using different materials. I've forgotten what they used, but it is possible, though rare, to find items in nature to see UV light."

Marinette reached into her purse searching for something. A few seconds later she pulled out a small black light hand light, designers used to determine, what colors fabrics would be, under this alternative light. They weren't cheap, so for Marinette to have one was very unusual.

Honorra quickly closed all the blinds and Wayzz turned off the lights. Marinette's light revealed the page numbers to find information on the Friendship Miraculous Circle. Still in the dark, they flipped to the pages.

Tikki, whose eyes could naturally see into the UV range, like real ladybugs did, checked the information listed. "According to this, there are eight Miraculouses in this Circle. It seems they represent the following abstract ideas: honesty, trust, fun, sharing, confidence, sensitivity, forgiveness, and respect."

"Those do sound like aspects used when it comes to friendship. Does the information have anything on what the Miraculous are or what the Kwamiis look like?" Peace Keeper inquired. She was unable to see anything as the computer had been dimmed down to prevent natural light.

Tikki scanned the pages. It was frustrating how large sections of the book were intact, but smaller sections had become faded or illegible. "The types of Miraculouses are visible, but the rest has faded away completely over the last few centuries.

You should be looking for a button, armlet, anklet and a patch. There is also a key chain, gloves, scarf, and cuff links. All I can tell from the pictures, is the patch you're looking for, is the kind boys and girl put on sashes after completing an activity of some sort."

At least I won't have to clean one used to protect an eye Peace Keeper thought to herself. "Do you think you might be able to figure out what the Kwamiis look like? I need to know that if I'm going to verify their Kwami Charms."

Marinette replied she would make a copy of the page under black light and use her skills to trace the outlines. Hopefully, within a day or two, she could fill in the blanks for Peace Keeper.

It was a good plan for now. She thanked them and promised to contact them again, once she arrived in Vietnam and settled in. Both parties said goodbye with both of them wondering what would happen next.

* * *

School resumed and the students were discussing the latest chapters they had read for Ms. Bustier's class. The chapters were six, seven, and eight. The story kept getting better and better the further they went in the book.

"In chapter six, Percy is shown around Camp Half-Blood. His reactions to the camp are disbelief and confusion. He is still trying to grasp the fact that Greek gods are still in existence and that he is a demigod. What part of the camp surprised you?"

Most of the class raised their hands eager to share their point of view. To everyone's surprise, Sabrina had raised her hand, while Chloe hadn't. She normally didn't do anything that Chloe didn't want to do.

Ms. Bustier smiled, very pleased with Sabrina participating in class. It was nice to see Sabrina doing something for herself for a change. "Sabrina, what surprised you the most about the camp?"

"The strawberry fields. I thought a camp made for demigods would be self-sufficient. To find out they had to sell crops to keep the camp running was very surprising to me," Sabrina replied excitedly.

"It certainly is a surprise. Who else would like to share what was surprising? Ivan?"

"The normal activities you would find at a camp. Volleyball, archery, canoeing on a lake. Camp Half-Blood has so many unique places and people, it was a total shock to read about ordinary activities," the big guy said leaning forward on his desk.

Ms. Bustier nodded and called on one more student to speak. Juleka brushed her hair out of her eye and spoke in a clear and loud voice. "The cabins and which campers stay in them. Each one was very unique to their godly parent. The real shocker to me was reading how many campers had to live in Cabin 11, because no one claimed them."

Very pleased by their answers, the teacher started writing on the white board. She made a list of the students' answers. Across from that she wrote literary devices. The class tensed a bit. Literary terms and grammar could be very hard to remember.

"Who can tell me what literary terms are used in Sabrina's example of the strawberry field?" She pointed to Kim.

The jock was a little out of his depth when it came to literature, but he tried to come up with an answer. "Um, imagery? The author was using words to help the reader picture a strawberry field with satyr playing reeds. He was really descriptive about how the music made the bugs leave the strawberries alone."

He was relieved when the teacher gave him a compliment for his answer. She called on Nino for another example who replied that tone used by Percy as the narrative conveyed his feelings at the moment.

The rest of the class took turns giving more literary terms for the other two answers. They used the terms; mood, didactic, and analogy. It was surprising how many terms they could come up with.

The class went on to chapter seven, where Ms. Bustier called on students to tell her who they thought was the god or goddess most like them. She also added it didn't have to be one of the Twelve Olympians. She wrote down a list of well-known minor gods and goddess to help the students with their decision.

First, she called on Alix. The pink hair girl thought about it for a few minutes before replying. "I think I'm most like Nike, the fleet footed goddess of victory. I like rollerblading really fast and I enjoy any victories I get." Alix pictured in her mind her rollerblading against a swift goddess and smirked. "I think I would give her a good challenge."

Her classmates agreed with her. Even Ms. Bustier laughed a little. They knew how competitive Alix could get. Rose was chosen next to speak. To no one's surprise, she chose Harmonia, the goddess of happiness and peaceful accords. Despite Harmonia's tragic life, Rose firmly believed in what she stood for.

Chloe was called on next. The blond hadn't really been paying attention. but knew her answer to the question. "I would be the daughter of Hera of course. She's the Queen of the Heavens, ruling all over the other lesser gods and goddess. Everyone has to do what she says and she's beautiful, powerful, and the patroness of marriage. Who wouldn't want to be her daughter?"

Alya whispered to Marinette it was more likely that Chloe would be the daughter of Eris, the goddess of discord and strife, almost sent her giggling. She managed to hold in her laughter. She didn't want to draw attention to herself. Chloe would make the rest of her day miserable if she was caught laughing.

Ms. Bustier once more turned to the white board, erasing the previous writing, before jotting down major events. She wanted to know which parts of chapter eight had the most significance on the overall story.

Max, who had patiently waiting to be called on, was the first person selected to give an answer. Adjusting his tie and glasses, he replied that he believed the information about the Big Three was a key moment.

"When Grover helped explain about the empty cabins and how the Big Three's children helped WWII, it helped illustrate the connection between fantasy and reality. The context helps readers understand how powerful a child can be and why it was important to discover the identity of Percy's father."

Ms. Bustier nodded her head, a smile on her face. Max's explanation was a perfect example of foreshadowing the rest of the events in the chapter. Looking at Adrien, who was practically begging with his eyes, to be called on, she pointed to him.

"The capture the flag part of the chapter was awesome! It was more like a battle then a game. When I read that part my mind was blown away. It really highlighted the rivalry of the cabins based on their godly parent. It was also amazing how at the same time they could make alliances."

"Indeed. This moment showed how the demigods are different then their godly parent. Their attitudes and actions clearly point to who their parents are, but we also see their human parents also having an effect, because they worked together." Ms. Bustier inclined her head towards Marinette to explain the last major event in the story.

"Annabeth put the pieces together first. Her shock grew once Poseidon claimed Percy. While it was an amazing moment, I felt that Annabeth might have been angry for some reason. Percy's reaction to the whole event was disbelief. It connected to the foreshadowing from the earlier part of the chapter."

"Excellent response Marinette. Today's discussion has shown us different elements used by writers using an old theme, but modernizing it in a new way to make readers believe the events are happening in real time. For your homework tonight, I would like you to read chapters nine to twelve."

* * *

A few days passed and it was Friday night. Marinette was hanging out with Alya, who was once more babysitting Etta and Ella, while their parents went out on a well-deserved date night.

Before coming over, Marinette had managed to trace the faint images of the Kwamiis for the Friendship Miraculous Circle. The Kwamiis resembled; a hawk, porcupine, otter, and a dhole. The others were a cow, frog, lemur, and moose.

It would have been nice if she could make the trace more realistic with colors, but no one knew what they were supposed to be. Master Fu had promised to send the image to Ning ASAP, when she dropped it off before she headed to Alya's.

"Alright, my little sapotis, its time for you to go to bed. You don't want to be sleepy tomorrow when we go to the amusement park right?"

"No, but can't we stay up a little later?" Ella asked.

"Yeah, we want to spend time with the big kids!" Etta added.

Alya firmly told them no and that if they continued with their mischievous they wouldn't be going to the amusement park at all. The little twin girls headed to their room and snuggled into bed, their propeller caps resting on their heads.

Marinette complimented Alya on how well she handled her sisters and asked what a sapotis was. Her BFF explained they were mischief imps in creole legend who caused trouble all the time. Since her sisters were so mischievous, she had nicknamed them after the story.

They then heard loud chuckling and looked around the apartment. The twins had left their room and had made a break for the freezer. Alya grabbed the back of their pajama collars. "What are you two doing out of your room? I told you it was time for bed."

"We wanted to eat some ice cream! The sapotis told us we could." the little girls said in unison.

Alya scolded them and dragged to their beds, telling them to behave or they wouldn't be going to the amusement park tomorrow. She shut the door satisfied that her sisters would go to sleep now.

While Marinette searched for a movie to watch, Alya unlocked her phone and showed her some new information she had gathered about Ladybug. "So we know that Ladybug was around in Ancient Egypt. I did some more research and I believe that some of the legends and myths about powerful females, could be about other women with the exact same pair of earrings! Isn't that amazing?"

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, startled by Alya's information. Her best friend started showing her images of different legendary woman and had used Photoshop to make them appear to be wearing a red and black spotted articles of clothing.

"Are you sure about this Alya? I've never, read or seen an illustration, showing any of these woman wearing ladybug colors. I'm also pretty sure they didn't have a yo-yo either."

Alya mad a dismiss sound. "How can we be sure? There's no proof they didn't. Besides, how else do you think they got their legendary…?"

There were more giggles and the drinks Alya had made for watching the movie were missing. Behind the couch, Ella and Etta were drinking them. "Don't blame us. The sapotis gave us these drinks," they said in unison.

Marinette could see her best friend's temper was getting worse. Once again Alya dragged her sisters back to bed and gave them one final warning. If they didn't stay in their room and go to sleep they wouldn't be going to the amusement park tomorrow.

Alya smacked her hands together, this time for sure her sisters would stay in bed. "Now back to the conversation, I'm certain that if the legendary women were Ladybugs, then ours must be a new girl. If I can just figure out her identity, then…"

"Why are you so determined to find out Ladybug's identity?" Marinette intervallic her. She started counting on her fingers the reasons why someone would want their identity to remain a secret.

"You love superhero comics, so you know why Ladybug and Chat Noir, wouldn't want others to know. Without a secret identity, they wouldn't be able to live a normal life. Hawkmoth could use their loved ones against them in order to get their Miraculous. Lastly, if they told someone, how can they be absolutely sure, they won't leak their secret?"

Alya rolled her eyes. "Come on, I can keep a secret. I didn't tell Adrien you had a crush on him did I?"

Marinette frowned slightly. "No, you didn't. You just pushed me into situations I was not comfortable in and then kept coming up with ways for him to spend time with me. As for keeping secrets, Alya, when you got akumatized, it was because you thought Chloe was Ladybug and you wanted to expose her."

Alya was about to retort, when the TV came on and an animated movie started to play. Furious, she glared at her little sisters so hard, it was a wonder they weren't incinerated. She was enraged more by them once again blaming the sapotis.

"Enough! You had three chances to listen to me and you refused!" She snatched their caps off their heads before resuming. "Since you didn't listen to me, I'm not taking you the amusement park tomorrow. In fact, I'll talk to Mom and Dad, about not letting you go for a whole year!"

Her little sisters began crying and pleading with their older sister, but it didn't do any good. Alya marched them to their rooms, placed their caps on top of the toy chest and told them to go to sleep. She slammed the door behind her, leaving her sisters crying in the dark.

Marinette blinked her eyes at what she just witnessed. She never thought having a sibling would cause someone to lose their temper like that. Sure, Manon frustrated her to no end, but Marinette had never lost her temper at the little girl.

"Your actions seem a little…harsh. Maybe because I don't have a sibling, I'm not sure if what you did was right."

Alya took a few deep breaths and looked a tiny bit guilty. She knew the punishment for not behaving was appropriate. Perhaps, threatening to tell their parents that the twins couldn't go to the amusement park for a whole year was a bit over the top. "I apologize tomorrow when I feel a lot calmer. For now, let's just watch a movie." So the two sat down and started to watch the movie Marinette had picked.

* * *

At the Agreste Mansion, Adrien was engrossed in his literature homework. The class would be having a quiz on Monday over the chapters they had read already. For sure, there would be an essay section, and he wanted to be accurate as possible.

He had reached the part in chapter eleven when the characters realized that the woman running the burger and gnome emporium was actually Medusa, who was trying to turn Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, into stone statues to sell. Putting the book down, he turned to face Plagg.

"Hey Plagg, you've been around a long time right?"

"Kid, I've been around for a few millenniums. You got a question and will I get cheese if I answer correctly?" Plagg licked his teeth in anticipation.

Adrien rolled his eyes and asked if the characters in mythology were real or make believe.

"Depends. In the really old days, there were powerful magic users, who were revered as gods and goddess. A couple of them happened to be Miraculous wielders or Guardians. As for monsters, some were real, and others were just animals, the locals weren't familiar with."

The cat kwami made gestures to be fed and Adrien obliged by tossing a hunk of Brie to him. Plagg caught it in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He was taking a bow for his incredible feat, when he let out a yelp.

Two small red imps wearing skirts and a propeller cap had landed on the window. Both of them kept saying, "Fun, fun, fun!" They slipped off the glass and landed in a horde of Sapotis, who laughed and started to make a mess everywhere.

"Come on Plagg, we need to get out there!" Plagg quickly locked up the mini fridge for his precious cheese before he transformed Adrien into Chat Noir.

The hero started running and deflecting the Sapotis attacks. This Akuma was persistent and all the copies together made it difficult to attack, without being overpowered, by sheer numbers.

Chat Noir, luckily discovered, if he destroyed their caps, the Sapotis would vanish. Around this time he caught up with Ladybug, who was doing the same thing he was. "My Lady, how many of these imps are there?"

"Watch out!" she replied as she used her yo-yo to nail a Sapotis, who was trying to attack her partner from behind. More were coming so they got back to back, protecting each other. "I should have listened when Alya said they were more than I could handle."

Chat Noir split his baton in two and sent them flying, taking out several Sapotis until they returned to his hands. "What does Alya have to do with this?"

Ladybug kicked two more imps in the head, breaking their caps, and causing them to vanish. "These Sapotis are Alya's little sisters! Apparently, Hawkmoth can akumatized two people, if they're holding onto the same object."

Chat Noir flipped over three Sapotis, clawing their caps making them disappear. "That is not good. So, I guess Alya made them upset and that's why they were akumatized. Anything else I should know?"

"Every time they eat, more copies appear. I don't think the two of us can handle this. We need more help!" Both heroes jumped up on to the rooftops, escaping the Sapotis for now.

Chat Noir agreed with her. He looked at her and stated, "I don't know if Master Fu, would be much help. No offence, but Turtles are about protection and spirituality. Those won't help us here." He gestured to the street below where even more Sapotis popped into existence.

Ladybug agreed and mused what they could do. Suddenly, she remember her conversation with Master Fu a few days ago. "I think I know someone who could help us, but I have to talk to Master Fu first. Do you think you can reduce their numbers, while I'm gone?"

"I'll do my best, but hurry!"

She didn't need to be told twice. Running across the rooftops she spotted the Sapotis forming a tower to get to her. She swung her yo-yo around in a large loop, dispelling the top half of the towers.

The Sapotis wouldn't give up. She needed to shake them if she was going to get to Master Fu's! _"Tikki, any ideas?"_

 _"There little girls right? Give them something they want and they'll stop chasing you for now."_

Ladybug scanned the area, looking for something the girls would want. She spied an ice cream shop. Apologizing in her mind, she tossed the yo-yo and wrapped it around the door knob. A single tug and the door flew off the hinges. All the little imps chasing her screamed, "ICE CREAM!" and off they went.

* * *

Master Fu was waiting patiently for Ladybug to arrive. Wayzz was on his little pillow on the table taking a sip of his tea. He was doing the best to ignore an anxious Honorra, who was plucking her feathers.

The door opened and in walked Marinette and Tikki. "Master Fu, I'm sure you know what's going on outside. The Akuma, it's actually two little twin girls. My best friend Alya's younger sisters."

Master Fu nodded listening as Marinette told him with the Sapotis ability to make endless copies, they needed help. She had a particular Miraculous in mind and a possible wielder for it.

Removing the Miraculous Chest from its hiding place, Master Fu opened the compartments. "I'm happy that you are taking intuitive on your new responsibilities, but I warn you. It is very dangerous to release another Miraculous right now. Hawkmoth is aware of my existence and he knows of Peace Keeper and the Charms. If you are taking one, it must be brought back the minute the temporary wielder has returned to normal."

The teen nodded and picked up the Fox Miraculous. Hawkmoth already knew about it so it wouldn't be a surprise to see a Fox wielder. She noted Trixx's Kwami Charm was gone. Master Fu had probably given it to Peace Keeper the last time she was in Paris. After all, they had bonded, in a rather unusual manner.

Honorra pushed the smaller box to Marinette grumbling. "I wish I could help, but even if I _could_ enter my Miraculous, I doubt honor would help in this case."

"You'll get there eventually Honorra." Marinette patted the kwami on her head. Thanking Master Fu she hurried to get back to the fight. Master Fu and the two Kwamiis had grim expressions on their faces, hoping this wasn't a mistake.

* * *

Alya was in the park trying to get her sisters to come home. Four Sapotis were riding the merry-go round. "I promise I won't tell Mom and Dad about you misbehaving. We can go to the amusement park next month."

"FUN! FUN! FUN!" The Sapotis jumped off the merry-go round, intending to pile on top of Alya only for them to go poof as their caps were destroyed. Ladybug landed next to merry-go round.

"Oh my gosh! Ladybug, I need your help! My younger sisters got akumatized! I need to get them home before for my parents come back."

"I know about your sisters. Chat Noir and I have been dealing with their copies all over of the city. Even with the two of us, it would take too long to locate the originals." Ladybug stood tall and locked eyes with Alya. Taking a deep breath she continued. "We need some help. I believe you can help us tonight."

Alya's eyes widened and she almost screeched in girly delight, when she saw the small box in Ladybug's hand. "You want me to become a heroine? Oh, this is dream come true!" She reached for the box, only for Ladybug to pull it back.

The spotted heroine gave her stern look. Her best friend needed to understand the situation clearly. "Focus Alya. We need your help, but this is only a one time heroine duty. I need you to promise me, you will use the Miraculous to help Chat Noir and me, defeat Sapotis. On completion of this mission, you will return the Miraculous to me, and never speak of this to anyone ever."

Once Alya promised and Ladybug handed her the box. Eagerly the girl opened it. There was a bright orange flash and a little orange fox with purple eyes appeared. In a slight seductive female voice, Trixx said, "So you're my temporary cub. Yes, I think we'll work splendidly together."

"Who and what?"

"My name is Trixx, the Kwami of Illusions. All you need to know is that cleverness and survival are your allies. Remember, your offensive power is Spirit Guides and use the flute to create an illusion. Now, say Tail Up!"

In seconds Alya was turned into a fox heroine. She loved the costume, even if it reminded her a bit of Lila's Volpena costume. "This is very exciting. I need to take a picture for my blog! Where's my phone?"

Ladybug snapped her fingers, reminding the girl to stay focused. "Follow my lead."

The fox girl followed Ladybug, surprised how strong and fast she was. Instead of a steady pace, she kept running ahead and jumping to see how far she should go and then testing her strength.

Alya jumped off a rooftop, mistaking the distance. She started to fall, only for Ladybug to catch her mid-fall, and land on the safety of a roof top. "I told you to follow my lead. I know this is exciting and you think you're invulnerable, but let me tell you're not. Our suits protect us, against most threats, and the Kwamiis, can heal us slightly after a fight, but we still need to be careful about not getting hurt fatally or dying."

Alya nodded and took a deep breath. She needed to focus and save her sisters now. She could ask the heroes questions after the fight. The two heroines caught up with Chat Noir, who had managed to dispel a street worth of Sapotis, but there were still more coming.

"Welcome to the purrty My Lady. Nice to meet a foxy lady as our backup. What's your name?"

"Rena Rouge. So can you tell me more about how your powers work and I can I get an interview…" Chat Noir dove on top of her and rolled her out of the way and Ladybug jumped over a car being driven by the little imps that nearly crashed into the trio.

Chat Noir pulled Rena Rouge to her feet. "Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Stick with either me or Ladybug. Don't use your power unless we tell you too."

With that the trio started to work together. Rena Rouge was surprised how well her body moved and she performed fighting techniques that she knew nothing about. She was careful not to play her flute, just use it to defend herself.

After a few minutes, they had cleared away a hundred copies, but the Sapotis kept coming. Rena Rouge felt her adrenaline spiking. Being in a fight was different then video recording it. She felt mildly tired, but otherwise fine. Next time, I'll do better and maybe I can set up some cameras to record myself fighting she thought herself.

 _"Prioritize Rena Rouge! Forget about filming and help save your sisters,"_ a sharp female voice hissed in her mind. The girl's hands flew to her head, as she nearly dropped her flute, turning her head all over.

Chat Noir asked her what was wrong and she mentioned the voice. He looked at his partner for a few seconds before he replied, telling her it was probably Trixx talking to her.

Comforted, the fox girl watched as Ladybug called out for her Lucky Charm. A unicycle fell into the spotted teen's hands. A quick glance around and she knew what to do. "Chat Noir, help me get the stuff I need. Rena Rouge, your job is to use your power to lure the Sapotis to this location," Ladybug showed her where to go on her yo-yo. "Once there, create an illusion of an amusement park."

Rena Rouge memorized the coordinates and promised to be there in a few minutes. "Come on Sapotis, let's see if you can catch this tricky fox!"

Chasing the fox girl sounded like fun as the Sapotis followed her. They jumped over stuff, threw themselves further. The commandeered anything with wheels as they pursued the teenager.

I got them to fall me. If I create an illusion now, I can use my power and stop the Sapotis myself Rena Rouge reasoned. This would prove to Ladybug and Chat Noir, they needed her on the team.

 _"Don't let your pride misguide you! Prove yourself by following the plan!"_ The female voice was getting angry at her. Maybe it was time to obey Trixx.

Bringing the flute to her lips, she played a short tune before shouting, "Spirit Guides!" Two balls of orangish white light came out of the flute and turned into two spirit foxes.

The Sapotis shrieked in joy as they followed the spirit foxes, all of them wanting to pet them. Rena Rouge stopped in her tracks and looked down at her necklace as it beeped. A small part of the necklace turned black.

 _"Your timer has started, but don't think about it! Imagine what you want and play your flute. You're partners need you."_ She did as the voice said and cast the illusion of the amusement park.

With the added illusion, it was easy for the unicycle wheel and a few broken broom handles, to sweep up the caps and deposited them in a trash bin. Once they were all collected Chat Noir used Cataclysm to destroy them all. One quick catch and purification and the city was back to normal.

Since he had the longest time left, Chat Noir agreed to take the girls home. Ladybug agreed and had Rena Rouge follow her. They landed near an apartment building with a wide entrance and alcove for Ladybug to change back.

Alya changed back first, due to Trixx not eating anything before she transformed, which sped up the timer. "That was amazing! I can't believe I actually just did that! Thank you for giving me a chance to help save my sisters. You can count on me to…"

Ladybug held out her hand, expecting the Miraculous. When she saw Alya wrap her hands around it, she knew there was a problem. "I'm grateful for your help tonight. You promised, you would give the Miraculous back."

Alya launched into a whole speech about why she should keep the Miraculous and that this was her dream come true. Surely the Heroine of Paris wouldn't take that away from her.

Ladybug's earrings were beeping loudly. She saw Trixx motioning for her to go and her sly smile assured her that this vixen would handle it. Ladybug ran off to hide her identity.

"Can you believe this Trixx? I'm going to be a heroine! We'll help Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat Hawkmoth. Then I can interview myself for my blog. Oh, I can't wait to tell Marinette about this!"

Trixx wrapped her tail around herself, she blinked her purple eyes a few times. "I saw that. My dear cub, you are certainly clever and know how to survive. I've never had a Fox who managed to fool a Ladybug."

Alya stepped back confused. "I didn't fool Ladybug!" She glared at the little kwami who laughed.

"Really? Well, I thought all you're fooling around and breaking your promise, was part of your plan to keep me. I know Foxes have a mixed reputation, my fault perhaps. I led them choose their own way, all though I didn't do that the last time I was active. I guess that's why my previous wielder was yelling at you. She didn't want a repeat of what happened to her."

Noting her confusion, Trixx simply told her that she had kept a promise to someone, which broke the rules, forcing her to possess someone, causing a lot of harm. Hearing this Alya started to take the Miraculous off, then stopped. Surely this wouldn't happen to her. After all, she _wanted_ Trixx and the Miraculous. Knowing the teen blogger needed a little push, Trixx spoke again.

"Alya, you have the makings of a heroine. You have passion, a sense of justice, and most importantly, you have desire to be more than you are," the little fox told Alya, who beamed at the praise.

"But, you are still caught in your own illusion." Noticing the girl frowning, Trixx continued. "You made mistakes tonight, which happens to rookies. However, several of your mistakes could have been avoided, if you had listened to your partners.

Foxes survive by listening to the world around them. With our clever nature, it is easy for us to determine, if we possess enough strength to nab our prey. Our focus doesn't wander, no do we stray from the skulk's dominate."

Trixx let this sink into Alya's head, watching as the girl reviewed the events of the night in her mind. The little fox patted the girl's head."You have the makings of a heroine, but right now you don't have the _maturity_ , to be one. Work on your flaws and grow. Perhaps next time we meet, you'll be ready."

Marinette had watched the whole conversation. She let out a silent cheer when Alya put the Miraculous back in the box and leave it for her to pick up. She picked up the box thinking that Trixx was right. With a bit more time, Alya could become a great heroine.

* * *

In the capital of Vietnam, Mirna Brantiti having finished her UN duties, was making her way to Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest Buddhist monument in Hanoi, dating all the way back to the sixth century.

According to legend, a Buddhist monk from Vietnam had done a great deed for China and was rewarded with enough bronze to create a giant bell. When it rang, the Golden Buffalo Calf of China, believed it was his mother calling him. The Lake of Mist, where the pagoda was located, was made by the Calf stomping on the ground.

Due to erosion and flooding, Tran Quoc Pagoda had been moved from its original place to a small island, (Gold Fish Island), near the southeast shore and connected by short causeway to the mainland.

Due to the age of the pagoda, and how monks lived there taking care of the place, the UN agent hadn't needed a clue to know where to go. Just her instincts, which were correct if the heated mark on her palm, was anything to go by.

The Friendship Miraculous Circle is somewhere inside Tran Quoc Pagoda, I just know it Peace Keeper thought to herself. Arriving at the pagoda, she walked across the causeway, her mark getting hotter and hotter.

Entering the courtyard, she paused and took in the historical site. Tran Quoc Pagoda was 3,000 square meter and the complex based on the Buddhist trinity, containing 10 shrines in all. The pagoda's red lacquered statue trimmed with gold representing the Buddha's nirvana. Created in 1639, the sculpture is considered a masterpiece of a distinctly Vietnamese style of sacred sculpture.

There was also a 15 meter high stupa on the precinct of the pagoda, erected in 1998 and comprising 11 floors with vaulted windows and gemstone statues of Amitabha. On the top of the stupa sits a giant lotus flower, which was made of gemstones. The monks ensured that none of the gems ever left the pagoda.

The stupa has been carefully placed to coincide symmetrically with a 50 year old Bodhi tree in the complex. The tree was given to the pagoda by a former Indian president when he visited Hanoi in 1959. According to legend it was grown from a cutting of the very tree under which Buddha found enlightenment.

"It's very beautiful," she whispered to herself. Glancing at her palm it had once again changed to a compass. Ignoring the pain she followed it until she arrived at the Bodhi tree. "The aura of this tree, it's very powerful. I can feel it trying to make me reach an enlightened state of mind."

"Indeed, it is no wonder the great Buddha became so wise," an aged male voice said. Turning around, she saw a very old monk, wearing glasses, standing behind her. He smiled at her and looked up at the tree in wonder. "Yes, this tree was a gift to humans."

He sat under the tree and gestured for Peace Keeper to do the same. Both of them took a deep breath and quietly meditated together under the sacred tree. The world around them faded, as a sense of tranquility filled their bodies.

The pain in Peace Keepers palm abated and her fretfulness about her quest, faded away. The Kwami Charms around her neck chinked together creating a gorgeous harmony. The harmony restored her hope for a better world in her life time.

She opened her eyes and went to thank the monk, only to pause. The old man was staring directly at her charm necklace. Something he shouldn't have been able to see.

"The monks here have been waiting a long time for a Guardian or an Apprentice to come here to reclaim what was lost. In fact, previous Guardian's ashes are held within this pagoda," he explained to her. He adjusted his glasses waiting for a response.

Peace Keeper stuttered, "You, you, you are the Kee Kee Keeper? I mean it makes sense, I just wasn't expecting someone to come, come up and tell me." Her face flushed as her fake hair fell over her eyes. Why didn't she figure this out sooner?

"As you can see, enlightenment takes many different forms. The order of the monks have guarded the Miraculous for generations. Your task is a challenge. Hidden, all over the pagoda, are eight spokes that make up the Dharma Circle for each of the Noble Eightfold Path.

To find each spoke, you must demonstrate the eight practices in the right place for the spoke to appear. You need to bring me the eight spokes by sundown in order to pass this challenge. Do you understand?"

Peace Keeper nodded as the monk wrapped a red and gold ribbon around her left wrist. This was a sign to the other monks who she was, so they would let her into the more sacred areas of the pagoda to find the spokes.

Peace Keeper had hours until sundown to search. Her instincts told her that the challenge would be more difficult than she imagined. Going in order of the spokes, she headed to the shrine where the monk's ashes would be.

* * *

The monk in the shrine saw her ribbon and asked everyone to leave for now. She waited in the shadows until the last person was gone. The monk spread his arms wide. "If you believe a spoke is here to claim, then search the shrine, but remember you only have some time to find what you seek, if it is here at all."

The first Noble Path was the Right View, to see your actions have consequences that kept you trapped in the cycle of samsara. To reach liberation, you needed to balance out all your karma.

Peace Keeper studied the shrine, looking at all the decorations and statues. Running her fingers over the containers of ashes, her enlightened mind considered all the possibilities of where a spoke could be hidden.

"Right View, right view, I need to have the right view. Actions have consequences which have an impact on our karma for the next life." She studied the shrine once more, glancing at her palm, noting the compass had disappeared.

Biting her lip in concentration, she walked over to the containers of ashes once more. Reading the labels, she took the one which was simply labeled Guardian. Respectively, she gave the monk the container and asked if the spoke was inside it.

The monk nodded and opened the container. Reaching in, he pulled out a medium size spoke and handed it to her. "You have demonstrated the Right View. You may continue your quest."

Peace Keeper continued her search. The Second and Third paths were Right Resolve and Right Speech. Right Resolve was renouncing earthly ties and devoting your life to spirituality. Right Speech, was to speak no falsehoods, curses, and only talking when necessary.

The spoke of Right Resolve was found in the praying shrine, which she did alongside the monks. The Right Speech spoke was found inside the famed statue of Buddha's Nirvana, after having a conversation with some visitors. Looking at the sun, Peace Keeper couldn't believe it took her two hours to find three spokes.

She headed to the monk's dormitory for the spoke of Right Action. This Path was about not killing sentient beings, never stealing, and no sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct in Buddhism consisted of never having sex with an unmarried or married person. Nor should you ever have sex with a person who is promised to another.

She found the spoke under the head monk's mat. He congratulated her on finding the Noble Path of Right Action. She was halfway done with her challenge. Recalling the Fifth Noble Path was Right Livelihood; Peace Keeper knew where she had to go. This one would be a challenge for her. Fifteen minutes later, she burned incenses after giving half her lunch as an offering. Her secret wish was for Buddha to forgive her for causing harm to others and have him show her the right path. The spoke fell out of the hanging pot and into her hands.

Noble Path of Right Effort was next. Going into the stupa she climbed up to the top floor gazing at the huge gemstone lotus. "My emotions are not pure, while my intent here is honorable. I take in your splendor and vow to use my senses to free myself from ill intentions. "The gems of the lotus sparkled and spread apart. The spoke rolled down the roof and she caught it before it fell over. The sun was getting lower in the sky. She needed to find the spokes for Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

The Keeper was sitting under the tree meditating. The sun was nearly down and the young woman had not returned yet. Perhaps she hadn't been worthy enough.

There was shuffling on the grass and the energy around him was very positive and full of life. Opening his eyes, he found all eight spokes deposited in front of him, and the young woman, kneeling before him. "I have completed your challenge sir. I humbly ask for the Miraculouses."

In response the monk reached into the tree and pulled out a wheel. He attached the spokes creating the Dharma circle. The sacred symbol started rotating and gaining speed until it stop. Secret compartments opened up and revealed the Friendship Miraculous Circle. The center of the Dharma Wheel opened up and scattered the Kwami Charms on the ground. Peace Keeper picked them up and then examined the Miraculous.

Thanks to Marinette's trace she, knew the animals displayed on the Miraculous matched up to what she was supposed to find. The button was very small, only a little bigger than a shirt button. On it was a red tailed hawk resting on a tree branch.

The armlet colors were based on the African Crested Porcupine. Even the little detailed porcupine was designed to look the same.

The anklet was a soft light brown with otters all around it. It made the animal appear to be swimming in a playful circle.

The patch was an oval in shape. A dhole was stitched on. The reddish orange wild dog had its mouth open, as if it was ready to take on a tiger.

The key chain turned out to be a brown, black, and white tasseled iron ring with a cow charm used to attach the tassels and the ring together.

The gloves were elbow length and were a shimmery silver. Adorning the gloves was a pattern showing the life cycle of a bullfrog.

The scarf was a decorative one, the kind you would find as an accessory to make your outfit stylish. It was much too thin to be used for cold weather. The threads in the scarf created a ring tailed lemur side leaping in a jungle.

The last Miraculous, you had to squint to see the animal. The agate gems had been cut to resemble a moose.

All the Miraculous were here and in good condition. Pulling out her magic again, she filled a new level with the new Miraculous Circle. Thanking the monk she headed out of the pagoda, glancing at her palm where the letters EMC had appeared.

"Another Circle, another quest."


	3. Following the Trail

Wayzz and Honorra sat across from each other on the table, glaring at one another. Master Fu poured a small cup of tea for each of them. Wayzz drank his tea with gusto while Honorra only took a small sip. She liked tea just fine, but she was getting tired of drinking it all the time.

Lately, the situation between Wayzz and Honorra, was getting worse. Wayzz was very annoyed with her personality and felt she was trying to take advantage of her situation, by getting Master Fu to spend alone time with her.

Honorra, was upset that Wayzz never wanted to do anything with her. Her "cousin" didn't treat her with respect a lot of the time. When she tried to talk to him he would ignore her. It was very upsetting.

"Now you two, there is no reason for two Kwamiis, to antagonize each other. I will hear your grievances and then help you find some middle ground. So, Honorra, since you're my new guest, why don't you share your story first?"

Patting down her feathers, Honorra stood up and chirped once, to clear her throat. "I am unhappy, that my "cousin" treats me like a trespasser, instead of family." She groomed her feathers for a few seconds before she continued. "Whenever I eat, he hides in the fridge. He ignores me if I want to talk to him or just dismiss me. He also gets upset when you spend time with me."

Finishing her little speech, she plopped down on her little cushion. Her eyes zeroed in on Wayzz, wondering what the little turtle had to say for himself. Said turtle, stood up and started speaking and you could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"I am unhappy with Honorra's manners. She is constantly asking questions she knows the answers too. When she eats, she makes a mess of everything, by spilling her food. She lacks focus. Our duty is to rescue Nooroo and stop Hawkmoth. Not fool around on the computer or read e-books."

Master Fu stroked his goatee and thought very hard about the two Kwamiis points. He understood where Wayzz was coming from, but he also knew that Honorra's behavior was normal for a kwami released from a long stay in a Miraculous. Also, since Honorra had been ensnared in limbo, they couldn't tell how it had affected her.

He looked at his own kwami and wondered why he was upset recently. Did the Circles not get along with others, who weren't their "siblings"? He had to ask. "Wayzz, do Kwamiis of other Circles, never interact with one another?" His eyes narrowed as he waited for an answer.

Wayzz bit his lip and his antenna drooped a little. "We have interacted in the very distant past, before the Miraculous were created. We helped humans as best we could together, but it was so long ago I don't remember much.

Honorra chirped in agreement, saying her memories weren't very clear either. She did remember working with other Kwamiis and they got along well. After the Miraculouses were made, she had flashes of working with others, but again, they weren't very clear. When you lived for millenniums it was very hard to keep your memory straight.

Master Fu stroked his goatee once more. He looked at both Kwamiis wondering how to settle their differences. He had an idea, so he hoped it would work. "Wayzz, I understand you are gentle and serious soul, and you Honorra, are an exuberant and emotional one. Families don't always get along, but they have to try."

He suggested the two Kwamiis spend time each day with one another doing two activities a day. One that appealed to Honorra, the other to Wayzz. Hopefully spending time together would help them get along better. He ignored the slight groan from the Kwamiis, who at this point, turned their heads away from one another.

"You can both start tomorrow. Today, I will need both yours and our young heroes help. I have an important duty as Guardian, which I should be sharing with Ning. However, this can't wait so we must work together to complete it."

* * *

Later in the day, Marinette showed up and Adrien soon followed. Both notice craft supplies and pieces of wood laying on the table. The wood pieces were large or small. Master Fu was already halfway done with creating a chest that looked identical to the Miraculous Chest.

"Welcome Marinette, Adrien. Please take a seat. We have much to do today." Both teens sat down and waited for an explanation. "I need your help creating more chests for the new Miraculous Ning will be bringing here. While we don't know how many Circles there are, we can create several chests and small boxes for them. If we need more, then Ning and I will create them."

Adrien looked down at the craft supplies and made a face. Making crafts was not one of his talents. Ask him about anime or physics, he could give you the answers instantly. "Master Fu, this project, should we be the ones working on this? Isn't this a Guardian duty?"

"Normally yes. Miraculous Chests only last so long before they must be replaced. A Guardian would teach his Apprentice this skill. With Ning on her quest, I am asking you for help. Helping me is one of your duties."

Marinette grabbed her boyfriend's arm and gave him a cheerful look. "I'll helpyou out Adrien. You don't have to be afraid of messing up. I'm sure the Kwamiis will also be helping us. This is going to be fun."

Sighing, Adrien decided to give it a try. Master Fu provide a guide on how to create the chests and where each part went. There was another handout for Adrien, showing him how to create the smaller boxes. The elder Miraculous user reminded them that the chests and boxes needed to be perfect, in order for them to be used.

Marinette helped Adrien get started on making the smaller boxes. Once Adrien got the fundamentals she started work on a chest. The chest design wasn't that different from the box to keep her diary safe in. If there weren't any interruptions, she could probably have this chest done by the time she had to go home.

Gathering the pieces of wood, Marinette started to construct the frame. Making sure each piece lined up exactly, Marinette glued the wood together. Honorra and Tikki held the pieces together until the glue dried.

Normally, to create a chest, a person would use different saws, nails, and screws. Thankfully, the materials had already been cut to size and shape so their main shelf would be ready in no time.

"You're doing a remarkable job Marinette. Your skills at crafting are amazing," Honorra praised her about an hour later. Marinette had managed to nail the bottom of the box to the frame and reinforce both. Right now she was sliding a panel into place carefully, so the item wouldn't bend or break apart.

"Thanks Honorra. Once you've made a wooden box before, it starts to become second nature on how to create another one," Marinette replied. She stuck a tiny bit of her tongue got the panel into place. The glue would take a little time to dry before she could reinforce it. Her chest was looking great and she couldn't wait to paint it.

"Guardian, do you want us to make several compartments for multiple Circles?" Tikki asked politely. It was a reasonable question considering the current Miraculous Chest held two different Circles.

"Each chest must be able to hold two different Circles. It is far easier to hide multiple Miraculouses when they're all together," Fu explained. Tikki understood and went to help Honorra figure out where the compartments should be, while Marinette prepared to put in another panel on her chest.

Adrien was struggling with his job. Even with Marinette's tips and Wayzz and Plagg helping him out, he hadn't finished one smaller box yet. Adrien had to be extra careful not to injure himself or ruin his clothes, so Wayzz and Plagg had to do those parts.

While they did that, the model was attempting to sew a small cushion to go into the little box to keep the Miraculous safe when it was delivered. "Another snag. Okay, undo the string and oww! Why didn't Father teach me how do this?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe he thought using you as a model was easier than watching you fail at this?" Plagg replied, his tail wagging as he snickered.

Wayzz bopped his "brother" on his head. "Please focus, Plagg. The hinge has to be installed just right, otherwise the spells won't take hold.

The boxes and the Chest itself had many spells cast on them. That's why they lasted so long and made it harder to steal them. Over the years the magic would decline, which was why they needed to replace the boxes and chests every so often.

Plagg hissed at Wayzz, but held the hinge in place, as Wayzz inserted the screws and twisted them in tight. "Can I go back to painting now?" he mewed unhappily.

"I told you. No painting until the box is fully assembled. If you want, take a snack break, but I expect you to help me finish getting the lid on!" Wayzz called out to his brother, who had phased through the wall, and straight into the fridge. Hearing him eat through the wall was worse than Honorra's eating habits.

By the end of the day, Adrien had made one small box. Marinette had finished a chest and was halfway through another. Fu had finished his chest as well and was preparing to place the spells on the items. "Very good you two. We'll need to make at least three more chests and a lot more boxes. I'm sure we'll have enough by the end of the week."

* * *

While the heroes and Guardian, did their work in Paris early in the morning, it had been early afternoon in Perth, Western Australia. Milina Brantiti had taken a flight from Hanoi to Perth. It was just a two day layover before she headed to her actual destination in Lima, Peru. There wasn't a direct flight between Vietnam and Peru, which is why she had gone to Australia first.

This was her first time in Perth, as well as, being in Western Australia. She had visited the other states of Australia, including Uular/Ayers Rock. She had respected the traditions of the local tribe, by not climbing the Rock or taking photos. Australia had so much to see and you had to be constantly vigilante to avoid the many poisonous animals that lived here.

Her mission in Lima, was to see how Peru was fairing, as one of the newest countries, to be part of the UN Security Council. Earlier in the year, the country was one of many, who were allowed to have a non-permanent member in the Security Council. In fact, the President of the UN Security Council in April had been from Peru.

"None of that matters, if I can't get to Peru. I guess since I'm in Perth, I should explore the city until my plane arrives in two days. After all, it isn't every day, that I have free time," Milina said to herself. Exiting the airport, she took a deep breath. The sea air, mixed with the local refineries, made an interesting scent. Going over to a tourist stand, she got a brochure showing her, the local tourist attractions.

As she read down the list, her left palm started to heat up. Looking at the mark she wondered what was triggering it. Glancing around, she saw a small park a few blocks down. A quiet place to rest and get some fresh air. Once she reached the park, she settled down, her luggage next to her feet. Opening the brochure again, she started to read down the tourist attraction hoping to trigger the mark again.

"When in Perth, tourists are encourage to visit the new Yagan Square, which features a 45 meter, (148 feet) digital tower and the 9 meter, (30 feet) statue Wirin created by Noongar artist Tjyllyungoo. Tjyllyungoo is famous for his highly valued landscape art.

While his work is identified with Indigenous Australian art, his paintings are imbued with these traditional influences through his depiction of the landscapes in his country. In contrast to indigenous abstractions, also recognized internationally, his work is well received by those without a knowledge of the cultural or spiritual beliefs of the Noongar people."

Instantly, her palm started heating up. Looking down at the mark, it was glowing again and it was much brighter than before. There was a picture of the new square and when she rested her palm on the statue, she knew that was where she had to go.

She caught a ride on the local bus and made it to Yagan Square. The new square was very beautiful. The architecture was designed to look natural and there were several lawns for people to sit on to relax or watch their children play.

Inside the square were several shops for a variety of purposes, both retail, food, and educational. Everyone here seemed be enjoying themselves and with access to the nearby bus stops, it was easier to get to where you were going.

Walking through the square, she was able to glimpse the tall statue until she was right in front of it. The statue was a brownish gold and was of an Aborigine man with super long legs and hands extending into the ground. According to the sign next it, this statue represented the "sacred force of creative power that connects all life of boodja, (which meant earth mother), to the local tribe.

"The statue makes me feel so many different emotions. I feel happy when I look at it, but at the same time it's sad. The Noongar land and lakes were erased to create this square."

Once more, the mark burned. The sensation was accompanied by the feeling of something poking her skin. She avoided flinching as two ambiences continued to build up. When it stopped, the young woman was hesitant to look at her palm. Her stomach made grumbling noises. She hadn't eaten lunch yet so she decided to go into a café.

"Hello, could I please have some lemonade and a sandwich?" A few minutes later the girl at the counter handed Milina her order and she found a seat in the back of the café to eat her meal.

After taking a bit out of her sandwich and sip of lemonade, the UN agent looked at her palm. The mark had changed once more. Instead of a compass, there was a list on her palm for seven items. Items two and three had been filled in with the words, "happiness" and "sadness".

Her eyebrows raised in astonishment as the abstract idea for the Circle popped into her mind. "Emotions. Emotions Miraculous Circle." Once again the mark flashed indicating she was right. It did make sense consider emotions were very abstract ideas.

"What was that movie I saw a few years ago, when I was on that mission watching over the representatives children for the day? Oh! Inside Out! The emotions in that movie were; happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust."

The poking sensation returned as slots four, five, six, which only left the first and seventh slot without writing in them. "What other emotions are there? Annoyed, frustration, delightful? No, that isn't right."

After ten minutes of trying to cause a reaction, her head started to hurt from thinking too much. A yawn escaped her lips, making her aware she was even sleepier, than she realized. She felt a slight pain in her chest as she took another deep breath.

Shuffling out of the café, she walked back to the statue again, trying to figure out what kind of clue it was. The square had only opened in March of this year and before that had been under construction. If the Miraculous had been here, surely someone would have made an announcement about a rare find.

The Special Friend mark had wanted her to come to Yagan Square see this statue personally. Somehow this statue is very important in finding the Emotions Miraculous Circle. I wonder, what if it isn't the statue itself, but who built it that's important? She thought to herself.

Taking out her secure phone, she used Yagan Square free Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. Typing in Tjyllyungoo, she learned it was the native Noongar name for an artist who used the name Lance Chadd when doing business work for his art.

"Tjyllyungoo is from Bunbury, the third largest city in the state and has a high population of Noongar people in and around the country near the city. Maybe someone there knows something about the Miraculouses."

There was train departing in half an hour that would be able to take her to Bunbury. After that, it would up to her to find the artist and ask him about the Miraculouses. So gathering up her belongings, once more, and made her way to the train station. Hopefully the ride wouldn't be to bumpy.

A few hours later, the disguised young woman arrived in Bunbury. "There must be a directory to find out where the local Noongar community in the city. I need to talk to them if they have any idea where I can find this artist."

It turned out easier than she thought it would be. She checked the city directory and found a local group of artists who were showing in the Bunbury Reginal Art Galleries. One of the artist being featured was Tjyllyungoo and his latest collection of landscape paintings.

After a quick change of clothes, Peace Keeper entered the gallery, her work uniform hidden beneath a dress. The art in the gallery was beautiful. Landscapes and statuettes showed the Noongar people unique art perspective of their world and the Dreamtime.

Her eyes were drawn to a landscape of the city. The colors were vibrant and you could see how well the artist used the paints to create a specific color. "An image of hope and love. Oww!"

Peace Keeper had accidentally bit her tongue when she was caught off guard from the intense pain from her mark. Flipping her palm up, she saw the list of emotions had been complete and the compass had returned, the arrow was spinning all over.

The hair on the pack of her neck raised. She glanced backwards and she saw the artist Tjyllyungoo coming over to her. Relaxing her stance, she waited patiently for the artist to approach her. He was looking very well for a man of sixty four.

"Welcome to Australia. You appear to be very interested in this piece. I created this piece myself."

"It's a miraculous art piece. I saw your statue in Perth and decided to come down to Bunbury to see more of your art. It's very strong and emotional."

The elderly man nodded and asked if there was something specific she was looking for. The artist sensed Peace Keeper was nervous about something. "Would you prefer if we talked privately? I understand if you wouldn't want someone to hear how much you'll pay for the painting."

He led her to a backroom, where the artists would do last minute touch ups before presenting their art. There were two chairs by a small table. "Please sit young Apprentice. I am the Keeper you have been looking for," he told her with a gentle patience in his eyes.

Peace Keeper was about to ask how he knew, the artist asked her to listen. "The Dreamtime is all around us. The Ancestors created all you see and hear. Our stories tell us how the beginning has never ended. We exist in all moments of time."

The old man studied Peace Keeper for a few minutes before he spoke. His tone was more official and his words were very precise. "To retrieve what you seek, you must prove trustworthy in this test.

The Ancestors, they have shaped this entire world. They come in many forms. They are the ones who will see and hear all sides of you. If they agree you are ready, the Miraculous will be yours."

Peace Keeper nodded as Tjyllyungoo pulled out some clapping sticks and started to perform a ritual to bring forth the Ancestors. The artist must have turned on recordings of the didgeridoo because she could hear the sound. The world faded around her and then she knew nothing.

What seemed like only five minutes, but was actually three hours Peace Keeper awoke as someone poured water through her parched throat. Blinking her eyes, she saw how dark it was.

"What happened, and ugh, why do I feel so sick?"

"Meeting the Ancestors has different effects on foreigners. I am surprised how gentle they were with you." The old man gave her a very curious look trying to figure out who she really was.

There was a satchel resting next to his feet and he pulled something out of it. It was a thin paint box. When it was opened, seven Miraculous could be seen. Each one was unique accessory. Items she didn't think would be made into a Miraculouses because some of them were uncommon, or, to exposed.

There was a red and green hair ribbon with small dragonfly charm attached to it. The next Miraculous was a pair of slip on purple shoes with a sequined bat on the top of the shoes. Also, there was a white handkerchief with an opossum embroidered on it.

There was also a gray knuckle brace with a rhino on it, along with a spotted skunk barrette. The last two Miraculous were a golden hedgehog clasp and silver locket with a flamingo inlay.

The magic box once again had created a new shelf to fit the Miraculous into. Their Kwami Charms were attached to the underside of the Miraculous, so she removed them and put them in a different slot area.

"Thank you. I promise to protect the Miraculouses with my life." The Noongar man nodded and led her out of the gallery. Peace Keeper waved goodbye.

Knowing the next train to Perth wasn't going to arrive until tomorrow morning, Peace Keeper decided to spend the night at the station. Looking at her palm, the letters had changed once again. This time they read GMC and she was pretty sure it wasn't related to the car brand.

* * *

The next day in Paris, Adrien was in his science class listening as Ms. Mendievel explained their latest project. "Many of you aren't taking this class as seriously as they should. Only two people are getting straight A's and the rest of you are in the B's and C's. This is unacceptable to me!

I always pride of myself of bringing the full potential of my students out. Every one of you is capable of getting an A if you work harder. You will be paired up in teams of two. I will assign you a project and I expect each of you too contribute to it." Her face sharpened as one by one, she stared into their souls, intimidating a majority of them.

Adjusting her glasses, Mendievel read off the pairs list: Marinette and Juleka, Alya and Rose, Sabrina and Alix, Chloe and Mylene, Adrien and Ivan, Nino and Max, and lastly Kim and Nathanial.

Marinette and Juleka were assigned a project on frozen salt to determine if salt affected the freezing point of water. Alya and Rose were assigned to study and create an electromagnet.

Sabrina and Alix were assigned to learn how astronomers measured the distances between the stars and the Earth. Chloe and Mylene were asked to identify the different types of rocks.

Adrien and Ivan were assigned to study molecular bonding. Nino and Max were told to they had to explain how all the five senses reached the brain. Kim and Nathanial were asked to explain different types of energy sources.

Ms. Mendievel sternly told them they had one week to conduct their experiments, write up a report of what they had observed and learned, and then present it to the class. This assignment would have a huge impact on their overall grade for the semester. "I will be grading these assignments based on my level of scientific knowledge, so you need to impress me.'"

Most of the pairs met up after school to get started on their experiments. Adrien had gone over to Ivan's house, one of the few times he was allowed to go to a classmate's home, and was greeted by Ivan's mother. She looked exactly like her son, except she wasn't dressed in black.

After she got the pair some snacks, she went to the master bedroom to work on some paperwork. "Your mother is nice."

"Thank you. So what experiment should we do?" Ivan inquired softly. He large arms were folded on the table. He was trying to relax, even though it was hard for him. Science wasn't one of his best subjects, but he was certain with Adrien's help, he could get an A on the assignment.

"Well, we could experiment to see what happens when you combine different ingredients and how they become something new. I read in a book once about using ingredients in the kitchen to create goop. How does that sound?" Ivan nodded, believing the goop would be easy to make and clean up.

The boys starting to gather ingredients to make goop. A container, water, along with food coloring and cornstarch. Putting on gloves they began their work. Adrien measured out the corn starch before pouring it in the tub.

Ivan was about to add the water, when both their phones started going off. Ivan's call was from Mylene and Adrien's call was from Chloe. Both boys answered quickly and receive a shout in their ears.

"Ivan, help! Chloe wouldn't assist me with our science project, and went to get her nails done. She insulted the manicurist and now she's an Akuma trying to kill us!"

"Adrikins, rescue me! I have no idea why this Manicurist want's to shishakabob me, but I won't survive unless someone saves me!" There was a burst of sound and the phone went dead.

When the phones went dead Ivan was at a loss of what to do. Adrien assured him that Ladybug and Chat Noir would keep Mylene safe. In the meantime, Adrien needed to get back to the mansion, where he would be safe. Ivan understood and told him to be careful.

* * *

A few minutes later Chat Noir was leaping across Paris, heading towards the sound of all the screaming. Flicking his baton, he watched the live broadcast. Nadja Chamack narrated the events unfolding.

"This just in, the newest akuma, going by the name Manicurist, has been ripping through the fashion distract, in pursuit of two girls, one identified as Chloe Bourgeois."

The footage showed a woman with long red, black, and blond hair, wearing a plum colored halter, a short pink skirt, with sideways belt on it, and combat boots. Her accessories included a spiked collar and wrist bands. Her nails were super long and painted different colors. If you looked closely, there was a dark purple nail file in a pocket on her skirt.

"That must be where the Akuma is hiding. Got to get there fast." Doubling his speed, he continued on his way to the fashion distract while listening to the report.

"The Manicurist had already demolished several windows and caused severe damage to the nearby edifices. Wait a minute, Ladybug has arrived and has blocked the Akuma from continuing after the girls. Hopefully Chat Noir will join us soon. If you are in the area, get away as best you can so the heroes can do their job."

Chat Noir arrived and quickly assessed the situation. The Manicurist middle fingernails grew long and sharper, become claws. She took several swipes at Ladybug, even managing to create a small tear in the her suit. This shocked Ladybug, who was nearly impaled, because she was distracted.

Leaping into action, Chat Noir pounced on the Akuma. He forced her on the ground as she struggled against him. "Nice nails, but I'm the only one who gets to wear claw tips!"

"Not anymore, Chat Noir!" Her nails grew super fast, giving her some leverage to force the black cat off her. Twisting halfway she tried to spear him with her nail claws.

He deflected the claws with his baton and then dodged the strikes the best he could. "What's wrong? You got a hangnail?" he joked.

"I'll rip your nails off after I take your Miraculous!"

There was zipping sound and Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped itself around the Manicurist's wrists. Pulling them tightly together, Ladybug pulled the string harder, before leaping up to a lamppost and swinging around it once, so she could lift the Akuma upright. "Get the nail file Chat!"

Chat Noir darted in, but suddenly found himself hanging upside down. The Manicurist index fingernails had the ability to stretch and wrap someone up. With a smirk, the Akuma's flexible nails tossed Chat Noir down the street.

Ladybug was forced to release the Manicurist in order to go check on her partner. As she was swinging down the street, something hard and sharp, hit her in the back. "OW!" Ladybug landed on her butt when she let the yo-yo string go by accident. More and more painful hits struck her back. Each time something hit her, there was the sound of fabric being ripped.

Gritting in pain, Ladybug jumped up on to a canopy, and used it like a trampoline to hop onto the roof of a nearby store. As more projectiles came at her, she managed to roll out of the way and against a ventilation shaft. The projectiles flopped to the ground when the hit the shaft.

Clattering to the roof were beautiful acrylic nails for the ring finger. That's what had been hitting her in the back. Reaching behind her, she felt small tears on her back. "Hawkmoth finally created an akuma that can get through the suit?" Her mind flashed to a memory of one of her other selves, who faced an Akuma's whose jewels could cut through the magic suit.

"Only there wasn't a way to defend against the projectiles," she muttered to herself. There was a thump on the roof. Ladybug started to call on her defensive power only to stop when she realized it was Chat. He also had tears in his suit and it was covered in purple nail polish. His movements were a bit stiff.

"Don't laugh, her pinky fingernails can shoot out nail polish. It's fast drying and slippery. I haven't found out what her thumbnails do," he confessed. His fake cat ears moved, hearing something scuttling up the building.

"MOVE!" Chat Noir shouted. Ladybug went right and he went left just in time to avoid being drilled to death by Manicurist thumbs. "You can run all you want, but I'll nail you!"

Ladybug smacked her forehead from her perch. It was bad enough Chat loved to pun, but now the villains? "Hawkmoth wants to annoy me to death." She dived down, reclaimed her yo-yo and flung it at the Akuma.

Manicurist blocked the yo-yo and shot more fingernails at Ladybug forcing her to retreat. Chat Noir came at her from another angle with his baton before she used her claw nails to slash him, making more tears in his suit.

Again and again the duo attacked and the Akuma deflected. Then the Manicurist would counter attack and one or both superhero's would block or try to attack. Ladybug and Chat Noir were starting to tire out, while Manicurist still appeared to be at peak efficiency.

 _"You're almost there Manicurist! Take their Miraculous from them while they're weak!"_

"Yes Hawkmoth. I'm going to file you down." She lunged at Ladybug, who slid under Manicurist's legs and shot back up. Chat Noir kept the Akuma's attention on him by flaunting his ring.

"Bet you can't get my ring without chipping a nail," he taunted. He quickly dodged as she tried to attack him with three different nails.

With the Akuma distracted Ladybug used her power. "Lucky Charm!" A bottle of fast freezing wart remover landed in her palm. "Oh, just my luck." Ladybug's eyes darted about. The bottle, Manicurist nails, and Chat Noir's hands. "Okay, got a plan. Hey Manicurist! Can you recommend someone to do my nails?"

Manicurist growled. "I am the best manicurist in Paris! You'll pay for that insult." Turning away from Chat Noir, she raced towards Ladybug, her finger nails outstretched to attack.

Right before the Manicurist struck, Ladybug splashed the woman's nails with wart remover. It was indeed fast freezing as within seconds the nails were stiff and brittle.

"What have you done?" Manicurist shrieked. She wiggled her fingers, but the nails would respond to her commands. Chat Noir attacked, causing the woman to tilt back as he used Cataclysm on her nails, which thankfully were acrylic, so they wouldn't affected Manicurist herself.

With her nails gone, Chat Noir grabbed her mid tilt and held her tightly to his chest. The woman struggled, but she couldn't get out of his grip. Ladybug took the nail file from the woman's skirt pocket and broke it in half.

"No more trouble from you little akuma. Time to deevilize!" The akuma turned back to normal and she flung the bottle into air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything was restored and the city was safe.

* * *

Upon arriving in the capital of Peru, Milina Brantiti had arrived and was meeting a contact downtown at one of the restaurants. The restaurants of Peru were famous worldwide, several had been recognized on The World's 50 Best Restaurants international list. Anyone who loved fine dining would come here eventually.

Arriving at the restaurant, she looked around and spotted her contact, a young man named, Miguel Fernandez, who worked in the federal government, and was a member, of the National Human Rights Action Plan committee. They were tasked with improving human rights in several matters; including gender base killings and reproduction rights for women.

"Good day Mr. Fernandez, how are you doing?" The UN representative asked as she settled into her chair on the right side of the table, as was customary.

Mr. Fernandez replied he was doing fine and that he had already order their meal. He hoped she liked, _Chupe de camarones,_ a favorite dish of those who lived along the coast of the country.

Ms. Brantiti assured him the meal was one of her favorites, as long as she drank some fruit juice instead of alcoholic. "I've already taken care of that as well. I recall from our emails, you said that you abstained from alcoholic beverages."

"Indeed." The food arrived and she took a few bites, enjoying the mix of sweet potato and shrimp. Her juice was delicious, a blend of many local fruits, with a bit of orange juice in it. Oranges were expensive imports, so only the best restaurants served it.

Soon the meal turned to business. "I'm to meet with the new President of the country later this week, to see how his transition to his new position, is effecting relationships in the UN."

She took a sip of her drink and set it back down on the table. She pursed her lips before continuing,"I need some insight on the President himself and what recent activities are being done here in relations to the UN." She leaned a little bit forward as she waited for her contact to answer her question.

"Since the committee was only formed a few months ago, we are still trying to prioritize which rights to address first," Mr. Fernandez explained. He reached under the table and fetched his briefcase.

He pulled out a few files and handed them over. A quick examination highlighted increasing health care availability in rural areas as well as starting a contraceptive program. There was also proposals on how to make health care affordable to those who lived in poverty.

There were also proposals of how to make schools more accessible in rural areas and a provision stating it was a violation of human rights to force children to give up their native tongue.

Ms. Brantiti looked up from her reading and closed the folder. She handed it back to Mr. Fernandez, who returned it to his briefcase. Showing her the files was a slight breach of security, due to government's ongoing activities to correcting their human rights situation, without outside interference.

However, he had a strong belief if his country was to correct the mistakes of their past, they would need help from foreigners as well as its citizens. By giving Ms. Brantiti this information, she had an advantage when talking to the President.

For the rest of the meal, they talked about food and politely discussing where they worked, and what clothes went well with a job. Another topic which was safe was the weather.

Finally, it was time for Mr. Fernandez to return to work. Due to the traffic congestion and transportation issues, he had to leave two hours early just to make it back to his office on time. After paying for the bill, they went their separate ways.

A short time later Ms. Brantiti was once more checked into a hotel. In two days, she would be having her meeting and then wait for more instructions on where to go next.

After making sure the door and windows were securely locked and there were no surveillance devices, Milina took off her disguise and became Ning again. It was very refreshing to herself once more.

"That wig is getting really itchy. I'm going to have to clean it before I leave the room. Ugh, my feet are killing me," Ning moaned, as she dove into her bed and started rubbing her feet desperate for some relief.

Her eyes were feeling very heavy and she wanted to sleep, despite it being early afternoon here. Her flight from Perth to Lima had been twenty two hours long! Sleeping on the plane hadn't been really comfortable. Then she had to rush to her meeting with her contact.

"I just yawn, need to take care of one thing, before yawn, I got to sleep. If its two p.m. here, then its nine p.m. in Paris. Hope this will be a quick, yawn, call."

It took all her willpower to not fall asleep as she waited for the computers to connect. When the screen came on Master Fu saw how her eyes were sagging and that Ning was propping herself on two pillows to avoid nodding off.

"Ning, what is going on? If you're even more tired than you look, you should be asleep now. Whatever you want to talk about can wait another day," he told her in a soothing voice. All this traveling was causing havoc with his pseudo granddaughter sleep schedule.

"Yawn! Sorry, I could not contact you the day I left Perth and I didn't want to talk when I was on the plane for twenty two hours. Yawn! I found…the last Circle during my layover in yawn Perth. EMC stood for Emotions Miraculous Circle. Now the lettering is GMC. Could you look that up for me?"

"I will if you promise to go to sleep. When you have rested, then we can talk more." Ning yawned once more, muttering a goodbye before turning off her special computer and sliding it under the bed. A few seconds later she was asleep.

* * *

The next day, Marinette was watching a TV commercial Adrien had starred in. It was promoting a new scent named after him and he did look handsome in his pure white clothing running in the sky.

She took a bite of her ice cream and pretended to be a zombie like fan, repeating the commercial words with a longing expression on her face. Tikki giggled and made funny faces with her wielder.

"Making funny faces is fun. Adrien really looks funny running like that."

Marinette laughed again. "Yeah, I wonder what he's supposed to be doing when he runs silly like that."

"I wonder why commercials are such a joke these days." Tikki pondered.

From downstairs, Sabine called up to her daughter. "Marinette! Can you come down here? Your father and I, need you to deliver an order!"

"Coming! Come on Tikki, I wonder what we're going to be delivering." The little kwami zipped into Marinette's tiny purse and hummed to herself wondering if she could get a few extra cookies, if she helped with the delivery.

It turned out that they were making a huge _cookie_ delivery. There was some kind of special event happening at the cinema and they had ordered four dozen cookies for the visitors.

Arriving at the cinema, she was greeted by manger. "Thank you for your timely delivery. Our guests are waiting to taste these delectable treats." He directed her to a booth next to a theater. Several people, were waiting in line to be allowed at the food table.

As soon as the cookies were out of the boxes and displayed, the line started to move and pick up snacks and drinks before heading into the theater. It was a puzzle to what special event, would require outside food, instead of the snack bar.

"Excuse me sir?" she spoke up to the manager. "I was wondering what your special event is."

"Today, is special because we are showing a noir film starring Emile Agreste, a famed actress, to a select group of people. This movie is a rare gem so only those invited are allowed to see it. Thank you for the cookies."

The bluenette was rooted to the spot. Adrien's mom had been an actress? She stared in a rare noir film? "Do you think Adrien's here Tikki? He's been unusually quiet around me lately when we go to Master Fu's."

Tikki shrugged her little shoulders. Adrien had been quiet during the last few sessions, but it probably had been more on focusing on creating the boxes, then anything else. "Even if he is, we should be going home. Your parents might need you to make more deliveries today."

The minute Marinette walked out of the theater, she dove back in to avoid being crushed by a King Kong sized blue gorilla foot. He was sniffing the air and then he climbed on top of the building and punched his fist through the roof.

There were screams and everyone was running away in fear as the giant ape pulled someone out of the theater. To her shock, it was Adrien! He was too far away to hear what he was saying, but he seemed to recognize the Akuma.

Gorizilla bellowed and then leaped up onto another building and headed away from the theater and heading in the direction of Agreste Mansion. No doubt about it. The Gorilla must have been akumatized when he lost track of Adrien and couldn't find him.

"Tikki, we need to go after them. If Gorizilla gets to the mansion, who knows what kind of damage he could do to the house and the people within." Glancing around, Marinette found a hiding spot out of camera range and transformed.

Meanwhile Adrien was squirming around trying to get free. "Let me go! I'm sorry I ran off, but this is ridiculous!" He kicked with all his strength, but nothing was loosening Gorizilla grip.

How could this be happening to him? If his father had just given him five minutes of his time, he would not have to sneak off to watch his mother's movie. The cinema had sent two invitations, but his father hadn't even looked at them.

He could hear Plagg hiding under his shirt, squirming about and complaining he couldn't breathe. "Transform already please! I'm dying underneath your shirt."

"You know I can't do that. Not while Gorilla is akumatized," the boy hissed quietly. While Hawkmoth had seen Adrien and "Chat Noir" at the same time before, thanks to the Kwamii Charms, there was no reason to reveal the truth right in front of him.

Gorizilla was walking through the city. He thumped his free hand against his chest and let out a large grunt, his huge incisors dripping with spit. Anyone who got in his path went screaming or driving out of the area.

Ladybug swung into his face and kicked him in his sensitive nose. Gorizilla grunted and tried to snatch the heroine out of the air, but she managed to dodge his fist. She landed on his back and held tight as he started to thrash about.

"Just hooooollllllllldddddd on Adrien Agreste. I'm cccccccccccccccoooooooooooooommmmminnnnnnnnng to save you!"

"Please do so and quick!" Adrien replied, trying his best to not get nauseated from all the shaking. He tried once more to get free, but it wasn't working. That's when this Akuma decided to reenact a King Kong moment.

Since he couldn't shake Ladybug off, Gorizilla decided to climb Maine-Montparnasse Tower, the second largest skyscraper in Paris. Unlike the rest of the streets, huge fans of Adrien and those who bought the new scent, gathered at the bottom of the building, demanding the Akuma let Adrien go.

Once on the top of the building, Gorizilla fell on his back and started rub his back against the rooftop. He was trying to scrape Ladybug off and dislodge her Miraculous.

Adrien stiffened as he heard the muffled screams of his girlfriend as she tried to avoid being smothered. He felt so helpless. "Plagg, can you do anything to help? Maybe bite him hard enough for him to let go or get up?"

"I'll try, but you owe me." The little black cat kwami wiggled free levitated through Gorizilla's fur until he came to his upper chest. "This is going to taste so bad."

Gorizilla let out a resounding roar that was heard and felt all the way across the city. He released Adrien and sat up, giving Ladybug a chance to get out of harm's way, as he swatted his chest, trying to get rid of whatever bit him.

Ladybug dragged Adrien inside the building and took a deep breath. "He's strong, stronger than any foe we've faced. We need to end this now. Do you know what his possessed item is?"

Adrien shrugged and stuffed his hands in pockets angrily. A second later, he pulled his pocket out and there was nothing in him. "The lucky charm you gave me, it's gone. I must have dropped when I was running here and he found it."

"I assume Plagg's the one who is distracting him?" The blond nodded and said he could get the lucky charm without being Chat Noir. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"

They burst back onto the roof. Plagg kept darting around and biting the Akuma to keep him distracted. "Lucky Charm!" A remote control toy helicopter landed in her hands. "Get the bracelet, I'll handle Gorizilla."

Shouting to get the Akuma's attention Ladybug darted out of Gorizilla's reach and activated the helicopter. As she darted about, she operated the remote helicopter flying it closer and closer to Gorizilla's face.

Plagg, who had zipped out of sight once the two teens came back, spotted the charm, it was hanging loosely on around Gorizila's right elbow. He spotted Adrien on the roof dancing awkwardly as he tried to avoid being stepped on.

At that moment, Ladybug did something Plagg thought was really funny. She maneuvered the toy helicopter into Gorizilla's nose! The Akuma was so busy trying to sneeze the toy out, he didn't notice the charm falling.

Adrien caught it and quickly tore it apart. The akuma was trying to escape, but Ladybug caught it and released it. When the Gorilla returned to normal, she snatched the toy and threw it high into the air and watched her loveliness of ladybugs restore everything to normal.

* * *

Night had fallen in Lima, and Peace Keeper was standing outside the Government Palace of Peru, home to executive branch of the government and President Martín Vizcarra, the country's new president. He had come to power after the previous president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, had been forcefully resigned due to many scandals associated with him.

She had met the man earlier in the day. She found him a competent man who had a good history of following the law and doing his best under extreme circumstances. While his popularity was only a bit above fifty percent, she had a feeling it would grow over time.

"I can't believe the Genre Miraculous Circle is somewhere in the Government Palace," Peace Keeper whispered under her breath as she went over a last minute check of her equipment.

After she had rested and functional once more, she contacted Master Fu again. Having finally finished creating all the new chests and boxes, the old man had found out the G stood for Genre.

She recalled Wayzz's solemn voice as he read off the seven genres: Fantasy, romance, comedy, and action, along with, western, sci-fi, and horror. The little turtle had told her to be careful. "The Guardian of this Circle, might have left traps to protect the Miraculouses, based on their abstract idea."

Peace Keeper finished checking her equipment before turning to the Keeper of this circle, a member of the Dragoon Guards. The Dragoon Guards were ceremonial guards, whose main job was to keep an eye on the public and doing the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, on certain days of the week.

"Are you finished preparing for the challenge ahead?" the Dragoon Guard asked. He was holding his golden plumed helmet in his arms. In the moonlight his gold epaulettes shined, signaling he was an officer and not an enlisted man.

Peace Keeper nodded and waited for him to explain the challenge to her. Whatever it was, she needed to ensure that her presences didn't cause an international scandal.

"There is a secret room inside the Government Palace, in the Presidential Residence halls. Your challenge is to find it and retrieve the Miraculous from the room and return to me, without being caught. Security is extremely tight and if you're found in the Residential area, then you can expect to be locked up for a long time."

"I don't plan on being caught," Peace Keeper said, as she activated her night vision filters in her mask. Activating stealth mode, she snuck through the barrier around the Government Palace and proceeded on her mission.

Peace Keeper, kept low to the ground and moved cautiously. Her stealth mode would keep her heat contained and had the added feature of special weave of transparent plastic, that made it difficult for cameras to capture her.

Taking steady deep breaths, she made her way towards the main entrance. She had a greater chance at being caught, but it was the swiftest way into the Residential Wing.

In the government house, the Residential Wing was just before the main entrance. There was a two-level great hall ornamented with Roman columns; the floor displays beautiful Indian motifs worked in marble. In the back, there is a staircase frame by two busts of Peru's South American Liberators: Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín.

It was a heavily guarded and it would take all Peace Keeper's skill to avoid being detected. She switched one filter to let her x-ray the heavy door. Four heavily armed members of the president's security detail stood near the staircase. They would see the door opening if she went inside and then she would have a lot of problems.

Reaching into one of her gadget pouches on her belt, she took out a very small and thin tube. She slid it under the door and blew softly through her end. A second later, there was a loud sound coming from deeper in the Palace.

Two members of the security detail when to check it out. The two remaining guards were highly vigilant, talking on their radios to double check where everyone was.

With limited window of opportunity, Peace Keeper put the tube back into her pouch and pulled out another device. This one was shaped like a three sided boomerang. She pressed the button on it and waited.

The device came to life and rose into the air, cutting through the door and damaging it. The noise was very loud and the other security detail dudes came out to see what was damaging the door. Peace Keeper slipped inside and hurried up the stairs into the Residential halls.

Once in the hall, she turned on her minicomputer and scanned the area. Squatting behind a statue she brought up the holographic screen. It was a 3D map of the Residential Hall and she overlaid it over known blue prints.

"Gotcha," she whispered to herself as one area turned red. There was a hollow space in a section of the wall near the president's bedroom. In fact, it appeared to be a safe room should the Government Palace be overrun, which had happened multiple times in the past.

Have to figure a way to get to that room without being seen or heard. Security detail knows something's going on she thought to herself. Grasping Trixx's Kwami Charm, she willed some of the fox kwami's clever and sly nature to her.

Standing up, she proceeded down the hall and danced about, avoiding setting off any alarms or gaining attention of security. She arrived at the wall and found the hidden switch, the wall opened slightly and slipped inside.

It was indeed a safe room. There was enough food, water, and ammo to last for several days. Her mark heated up and a tugging sensation gripped her. It pulled her to a locker with guns.

Slowly and as quietly as possible, she moved the locker away from the wall. There was the Spanish letters for GMC in the dead center of the wall. Quickly she cut a hole in the wall and spotted two bags tied together. Her mark was flaring red hot now.

I got get out of here fast Peace Keeper thought to herself. She snatched the bags and attached them to her belt. She replaced the drywall and moved the locker in place before slipping out of the safe room.

The pitter patter of feet was a lot closer than she would have liked. Checking her map again, she entered an empty room that faced the gardens. There was viewing terrace in the room. Stepping on the terrace, she pressed a button on her computer, telling her gadget to return.

As soon as she had it, she jumped off the terrace and used Nooroo's power to fly out of the garden and landed in front of the Keeper. "How did I do?" she asked as he took the bags.

The guard looked into the bags before answering. "According to communications, the security detail believed the source of the sound they heard was a window creaking and same with the door."

"How fortunate for me, that it was a windy night." It seemed borrowing a tiny pinch of Tikki's power had been enough to cover her tracks. "I believe that I have succeeded in your challenge Keeper?"

He nodded and handed her the bags. The small one contained the Kwami Charms so she decided to take the Miraculous out one by one to exam. Opening the second bag she pulled out the first Miraculous.

It was a silver tiara with a seal holding a sapphire on one of the points. The moonlight glistened off the tiara making it sparkle.

The next Miraculous was beautifully woven shawl. The shawl was clearly Inca in design and there was a gibbon on the in the center. "It's very pretty," she whispered to herself.

She pulled out the next Miraculous. A red leather lanyard with a brown hyena clip at the end. It was astonishing to discover that the lesser known, but highly endangered hyena, was the chosen animal.

The next item was an orange wristlet. A wristlet was a piece of jewelry worn around the wrist, but had rings that the fingers went through, when worn. On the top part of the wristlet was a brown pine martin.

The next item made her laugh a little. It was a gaucho style hat with a Gila Monster decoration attached to it. It was obvious which genre this Miraculous was for.

The last two Miraculous were a badge and a backpack. The badge was similar in design to one a police officer in Peru would wear only the color was a dull black. A streaked tenrec was in the center of the badge.

The backpack was red and black with spiders all over it. One spider in particular was bright blue and looked slightly different than the others. No doubt this is where the Kwami merged with the Miraculous.

After securing the Miraculous and the Kwami Charms, she looked at her left palm waiting for the letters to change. Now instead of GMC, it read, AMC. "First a car company and now a TV station? Why am I not surprised?"

She laughed a bit and then headed back to her hotel. Sneaking around and moving heavy lockers had made her body ache badly. Hopefully, the next test wouldn't be a challenge.


	4. Unforeseen Circumstances

Ning was no stranger to dangerous situations. After all, that was the reason she had been created. She had gone into the middle of many conflicts and resolved them. Her job was also to prevent those conflicts from happening in the first place.

As the Great Guardian's Apprentice, she had learned about magic, Kwamiis, and what happened when an item created to help the world was used for evil purposes. She fought against Akumas and convinced a super villain to release an innocent victim. She also had experienced two powers of different Kwamiis.

A quest to retrieve lost Miraculous Circles, filled with dangers was expected. By now, she believed there were unseen forces guiding her bosses, in order to send her to where she needed to go to retrieve the Miraculouses. How else could she explain away the coincidences?

The countries she had been too, each had its own dangers and the Keepers' tests, had earned their rating. So far, she had been through three challenges and one trustworthy test. It was a high probability her next test would be one designated as bad. What kind of test would a bad ranking one be?

At the moment, she was wondering what AMC meant. A lot of abstract ideas existed, heck, the word abstract started with an A! "What abstract ideas start with A? Absolute, antimony, avant-garde? No, none of those are working."

She paced her hotel room and glanced at her watch. It was one in the afternoon. Her superiors had promised to contact her around three their time, which was one hour from now in her time zone.

A wave of dizziness came over her and she was forced to sit down. Earlier in the morning, she had contacted Dr. Calzone, and told him about her exhaustion and minor difficulties of breathing. His face had gone slightly white when heard about her breathing problems. He had said to her, "I thought you were taking it easy on your missions, but it sounds as if you're continuing to be very active."

"I hardly think visiting a few sites and walking would cause this much trouble," Ning had replied. She couldn't tell him the truth. The UN Security Council only knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir, were on the right side of the law, and had access to some unusual objects, due to her purging the data and the deal she had negotiated.

He reminded her she had been visiting many different countries with a variety of temperatures and climate, along with different oxygen levels. "Try to keep your activity to a minimum. If you do go sightseeing do so slowly."

In the present, she laid flat out on the bed with a washcloth on her forehead. The dizziness was starting to pass. "I need to control my stress levels. They're only making my body hurt more. Breathe in then breath out." She continued her exercise until her computer chimed.

Forcing herself to sit upright, Ning quickly fixed her hair and answered the call. The screen blinked on and she was looking at the most recent President of the Security Council, Olof Skoog of Sweden. "Peace Keeper, we have received your most recent reports. The country of Peru is slowly meeting the goals set for them by the Human Right's Council."

"The President is working diligently to comply and is thankful for the UN allowing them to have a voice in the Security Council. I don't believe there will be a problem for President Vizcarra and Ambassador Meza-Cuadra working together."

President Skoog agreed, as both men had experience in the UN, and knew what it took to keep relations running smoothly. They reviewed the information she had gather on her other missions. He politely asked if she enjoyed her time in Perth, which she expressed in a positive manner. She told him about a few sites so he didn't question her further on the subject.

Finally, it was time for her new mission. "As you know, Belize has never had a permanent member of the Security Council, only Ambassador Lois Young, in the General Assembly. Since our recent additions to the Security Council are doing well, we would like an evaluation of Belize's current government from you."

That raised an eyebrow. This wasn't a mission that directly fell on the Security Council to solve. "Sir, there are members of the UN General Assembly or diplomats, whose jobs are to make these evaluations, and take the necessary steps, to allow admittance. Why do you need me to do this?"

The man gave her a patronizing smile. "An independent evaluation from you, a person who is loyal to the world, will help us focus on the criteria, Belize must meet, before they can be considered as a member of the Security Council." Pointing at her, he continued "You have unbiased opinion on the country and its government. We trust you will give us an accurate report," President Skoog explained to her. His eyes remained locked on her.

"I understand President Skoog. Where in Belize am I to be sent to in order to make this evaluation?" Ning asked. Considering the unusual nature of the mission, she wanted time to do research before leaving for the country. Belize wasn't as dangerous as other Central America countries, however, you still needed to very careful.

President Skoog informed her she would be leaving for Belmopan, Belize's capital the day after tomorrow. She would meet with the Heads of Government at the Parliament Building to discuss the possibility of Belize becoming a member of the UN Security Council in the next session to elect non-permanent members.

The secret agent did her best to remain expressionless. "President Skoog, my cover is an attaché who works for the UK Security Council representative. I don't have the credentials or power to enforce any agreement. The requirements to be selected as a non-permanent member of SC, is a recommendation from the UN Security Council to the General Assembly.

In the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard shall, in accordance with Article 23, paragraph 1, of the Charter, be specially paid, in the first instance, to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.

That means during a session the General Assembly must vote an elect members from five members from Asia or Africa, which will be split two to three. One member from Eastern Europe, two from Latin America, and two from Western Europe or other states.

Belize has never been recommended or chosen as a member for many reasons, including the ongoing dispute between Guatemala, which claims that the country Belize belongs as part of their territory."

President Skoog gave the young woman a hardened look. He reminded her in a tight voice he was well of the United Nations Charter, and she wasn't to question orders given to her. He could send her out on high risk missions, not giving her a chance to recover at all, if he wanted to.

Ning assured him that wasn't necessary. He would have her evaluation of the Belize Government on schedule. A few minutes later, the call ended. The only indication she was not okay, was a minuscule tremor of her hand for two seconds. President's Skoog's warning reminded her of how little control over her life she had at times.

The next voting session for non-permanent members for 2020 and 2021 would occur later in the year. If her evaluation could help in favor of the country it was worth doing. "This is highly unorthodox, but maybe it will help Belize in the future."

* * *

It was the next day in Paris, the group of four friends were hanging out after school in the park, just enjoying the sun. They had not spent much time together lately for one reason or another. The four of them were happy to spending time together again.

Nino was telling a funny story; about one time he had mixed up his records and played a polka song at one of his gigs. "I wanted to hide under the table man. I was going to play a hit jazz song at the party, but somehow someone snuck a polka record in there. The kids at the party fell on the grounds laughing, while the old folks danced it up."

Alya chuckled picturing the event in her mind. "I wish I had been here then. It would have been so fun to upload a video that was sure to go viral." Nino gave her the stink eye and she just laughed some more.

Nino placed his hand on Alya's right shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. "Alright, if you're going to laugh at me, you're going to have to tell an embarrassing story about yourself."

Alya protested, pointing out that Nino was the one who decided to share his story. Marinette and Adrien egged her on until she agreed to tell her story. "It was my first time trying to make a video with my cellphone. I was videotaping my mom as she prepared a feast for us to eat. I can recall the scent of her perfectly cooked brisket. I remember because I dropped my phone to smell it. I grabbed for it and accidentally deleted the video!"

Marinette made a shock expression and raised her hand to her head and leaned back slightly, speaking in a dramatic way. "No! The great Alya, who knows all things about phone videos, pulled a "Marinette" and deleted a video by accident?" She started to laugh. The boys held their hands over their mouths to cover up their snickering.

Alya flushed embarrassed. "I got a lot better! Look at my videos now. They're superb!"

"Easy Alya, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because I never pictured you tripping or dropping things before." Wiping a tear from her eyes, the bluenette admitted the first time she had sewed dress, she ended up with back of the bodice in the front. She hadn't even noticed until her mother pointed out the next day when she wore it.

Adrien laughed at that, trying to picture Marinette doing that. It was funny and he just couldn't picture his father ever making a mistake. Him on the other hand, "The first time I modeled clothes for my father's company, I ripped the jacket when I tried to get it on, by myself. I was five at the time and was trying to be grown up."

"Ah, I bet you were a cute little kid," Alya teased and pulled on Adrien's cheek. Luckily, the Gorilla was in the car looking at a "Bodyguard of the Month," magazine, otherwise he be all over Alya.

* * *

Adrien suggested changing the subject. He recalled Master Fu had been puzzling over some of the riddles to figuring out information on the other Circles. The Great Guardian had asked for their help in solving this matter. Maybe Alya and Nino could help them out.

"How about we play a puzzle solving game? Alya and Nino can be on one team and Marinette and I will be on the other one. We each ask five riddles and give the other team five minutes to answer. You get a point for each time you get the riddle right. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins."

The teams got together to discuss what riddles they were going to ask. Adrien told Marinette his plan to help them finally figure the riddles out. She agreed with him and told him he better be smart to answer the riddles asked to them. After all, she was not going to give Alya something else to tease her with.

Team Adrian went first. "The glow of night can be found inside of me. When I use it, it severs several purposes. What am I?"

Nino laughed, "Is that the best you got Adrien? The answer is bioluminescence." He didn't notice Marinette discreetly writing the answer down. "Am I right?" The dark skinned boy asked.

"You got it Nino. So what's your riddle?"

"This one is easy. What house is always sick?"

Marinette spoke up immediately, "Greenhouse. Manon told me that riddle and she said she came across on the Internet."

So each team had a point. This time, Marinette asked the riddle. "I am a beam of light, but I don't burn. I break apart, but then you see me."

Alya smirked. This was a hard riddle, but thanks to their recent science classes she knew the answer. "You're talking about a reflection. Because a light beam has to hit a surface, but doesn't burn it and using the law of refraction, we end up seeing our reflection."

Marinette nodded, adjusting her stance and discreetly gave Tikki the pad and pencil to copy the answers down. The bluenette had left her purse open just a smidge so the kwami could hear clearly. These answers were key to the safety of the Miraculous Circles out there.

Alya adjusted her glasses and looked directly at Marinette. "How many seconds are there in a year?" She could see the confusion on Marinette face. She bit back a laugh as Marinette tried to use her fingers to solve the problem.

Two minutes went by before Adrien pushed down her hands and told her to relax. "The answer is twelve. January second, February second and so on." He reminded his girlfriend to listen closely to the words and think hard before answering.

The two of them talked amongst themselves, before Adrien gave the next riddle. "The brightest light and deepest depth are met when the hardest substance has a soft carpet on it. What do we all have in common?"

Nino and Alya whispered amongst themselves. This riddle was hard and they reviewed the clues several times. Thirty seconds before time was up, Nino spoke up. "Colors. The yellow sun meets the bluish black of the sea join alongside the brown rocks and green grass."

"You're good. It took me a few minutes to "come up" with that one," Marinette joked. Unconsciously she started to tug on one of her pigtails, It was her tell showing she was hiding something. Adrien cleared his throat and gave her a sideways glance. Instantly, Marinette stopped. Alya noticed, but didn't make a comment.

Nino tried to stump his best friend asking him how an odd number became even after you took a letter out of it. He was visibly disappointed when Adrien replied seven.

The two heroes asked two more riddles, one about water and the other about shadows, but their best friends couldn't answer them sadly. Marinette answered the riddle of what had one eye, but couldn't see, (a needle). However, they were both stumped when Nino asked, "I have keys but no doors. I have space but no rooms, I allow you to enter but you are never able to leave. What am I?"

The answer was keyboard. They all laughed and admitted they were good riddle solvers. The Gorilla honked the horn on the limo so Adrien waved goodbye and trio went their separate ways home.

* * *

Belize, was unlike anything Peace Keeper had seen before, after stepping off her plane at the Hector Silva Airstrip, which had a small terminal and unmarked runways, but it was still very functional.

The architecture style was a mix of British with strong undertones of Mayan culture. The country had a rich mix of ethnic groups including: Mayan, Creole, and Garinagu, along with Meztios and a variety of other small groups.

The country had one of the most biodiversity places in the world with lots of environment protections for both the land and the Belize Great Barrier Reef, the second longest reef in the world. It was in fact, a World Heritage Site. Tourism was the second highest grossing part of the economy.

While this beauty was amazing, Belize had an extremely high risk dark side. Crime was high, especially in Belize City and Belmopan. Most of the crimes were committed by numerous gangs, who liked to traffic drugs and people. Murders were high, but not as high as in some neighboring countries.

To decrease crime the government had initiated many programs. Youth programs to educate and protect youths from violence, more resources for patrolling and investigation. The biggest measure they took, which some countries frowned on, was the 2011 truce between the government and a large majority of major gangs, which lowered the murder rate significantly from what it was before.

The truce only lasted a year when the money ran out to pay gangs to not commit violence. Over the last seven years, there were continuing efforts to find a way to ensure a lasting peace with the gangs. They were making progress slowly.

* * *

The best way to travel in the country was to flag down a bus as it drove down the road. A disguised Peace Keeper did just that. Clutching her luggage tightly, she boarded the bus and took a seat, being extremely aware of her surroundings.

Belmopan was a relatively new capital, have been establish in 1970, to prevent massive destruction to the government, due to hurricanes that ravaged Belize City. The centerpiece of the city was the Ring Road where the government building stood on, including her destination, The National Assembly Building.

Arriving at Ring Road, she got out and went to the USA Embassy Building, to alert them of her arrival and was allowed to leave her belongings in one of the diplomatic visitor's room.

After showering and changing clothes, Ms. Brantiti was ready for her meeting with Governor-General Colville Young and Prime Minster Dean Barrow. "I really hope this mission goes well."

Arriving at the prime minister's office, she was escorted into his inner office and was announced to the two men about her arrival. Prime Minster Barrow stood up, "Please come in Ms. Brantiti, we have been expecting your arrival."

Held his hand out and she shook it, then Governor-General Young's. "It is an honor to be here in your country and helping Belize to one day have a seat on the UN Security Council."

The meeting started off in normal Belize fashion. No direct eye contact and with little personal space. They made a lot of small talk, not really talking about the main topic.

Forty five minutes later, it was time to discuss business. "When Mr. Barrow and I, first got notice of your visit, it was very surprising. The Queen wasn't aware that the United Kingdom Security Council member would be making such a bold movement. Following the proper protocol, I should have been informed well in advance of this meeting, so I had more time to speak with our UN ambassador."

"I agree Governor-General, however President Skoog decided that this meeting should take place during his term in office and didn't mention his intention to the previous president. In the future, there will be no miscommunications."

"I should hope not. The future of our country and international relations depends on it."

"Indeed it does, what can Belize do to help us gain a recommendation for the General Assembly? I would like to know what the government can do before my term is up."

Ms. Brantiti stated plainly that the best way to gain a recommendation was to continue with their ongoing efforts to curb the violence in their country and peacefully settle the territory dispute with Guatemala. She also discussed the importance of the country to continue its ongoing missions of peaceful resolution with its regional division. An open dialogue with members who had already been on the Security Council, would also help with getting the recommendation.

The meeting continued for two hours before the three of them agreed to reconvene the next afternoon, as was customary in Belize. She decided to go into the bathroom to freshen up.

She washed her hands and started reapplying some make up as she talked to her reflection. "Belize is only one of sixty five countries that have never been made non-permanent members of the Security Council. Recommendations can only go so far, considering it took a majority of the General Assembly to agree on, which regional countries would best serve during their two year term."

Drying her hands she continued talking to her reflection. "Belize has had several evaluations over the years, so why was another one needed right now? What does President Skoog really want?" What was her real purpose in this country?

Returning to the USA Embassy, she secured a copy of the city paper and began to read about the local news. The Belize Embassy in Washington D.C received the Central American Integrated System (SICA) Pro-Tempore Presidency from the Dominican Republic.

There was another murder in Belize City. Possibly related to gang activity. An announcement about the upcoming SICA/Taiwan meeting. Crime rate was up in the capital and there was growing concern the city would become the next hot spot for murders and gang activity.

"How can a group of Miraculouses be in this country? I know compared to other countries in Central America it isn't as bad as it could be. There has to be a way to stop this violence or lower the numbers again until a viable solution can be discovered."

Looking at her left palm, it was the same as it had been since she left Lima. She had felt it heat up slightly during her discussions with the Prime Minister and Governor-General. "I thought the Miraculouses were somewhere in the Ring Road area, but you haven't heated up again at all."

Ning traced the letter A over and over, continuing to think of different abstract concepts, but none of them triggered it. She was starting to wonder if perhaps the concept in theory was abstract, but the Miraculouses represent ideas or objects associated with an abstract theory.

"I wish I had someone to talk to about this quest. The toll it's taking on me and the constant burning sensation, or even just figuring out what I'm supposed to be looking for."

* * *

Rolling on her stomach, the young agent sighed. The only people she could talk to besides her bosses, were asleep in their beds. It was one a.m. in Paris and she wasn't going to wake up someone late again.

Her special computer beeped. Surprised, she opened it and was surprised to discover someone was trying to contact her, but wasn't able to find a good connection to reach her. Ning investigated who was trying to make a cyber-attack on her.

As she investigated, she was surprised that the trace was going through her usual route in connecting to Master Fu. A few more clicks and she found herself face to face with Honorra, who looked up from tapping the keys.

"Honorra?"

"Apprentice Ning! I am so happy I managed to use the computer to find you. You wouldn't believe how long I have been trying to do this."

"Actually, I was the one to connect us, considering my connection is very secured and private. Why we're you trying to connect with me?"

"Besides having no one to talk too? We solved another riddle with a little help from Marinette and Adrien's friends!"

The little magpie kwami's feathers glistened with the help of the monitor glow. It took a few minutes to understand what she was saying because Honorra was talking so quickly. Apparently, they needed to use bioluminescence to read the page on the Academic Miraculous Circle.

In response, the mark heated up. At least Ning now knew what the A stood for. She listened as an excited Honorra went on to describe what the page had told them about the Academic Circle.

"There are eight members in this Circle can you believe it?" Honorra whizzed out of range. Ning heard thumps, a small crash, than something dragging across the desk. A few seconds later a large folder appeared in view.

Honorra opened the folder and pulled out a few pieces of paper. A tiny bead of sweat trickled down her face. Since she was still regaining her strength, it made sense, the folder was heavy to her.

Plastering one of the papers against the computer screen, Ning read the list of what academics were considered abstract. There was math, philosophy, and art. Then there was literary terms, social science, and studying. Lastly there was speech and history. After rereading the list, her mind tried to figure out how the list was abstract.

The first three make sense to me because they are abstract in nature. I guess when I think about it literary terms and literature in general are abstract. Someone had to come up with terms to describe writing and what people consider is real literature is very diverse.

Social science is all about abstract concepts to create data and explain behavior or people. Also studying, what is studying exactly? You can look and practice and there are so many different types of methods meaning there's no central focus.

Speech, you can't see it, you can only hear it. Again though, how do you create a speech and how do you make it effective, and we all know, history is written by the winners, yet was is historically significant Ning thought to herself.

Honorra yanked the paper away and replaced it with another one. This one showed different animals on it, the animals the Kwamiis looked like. There was a ferret, platypus and tarsier. Then, there was a worm, hermit crab, and aardvark. Lastly, a humpback whale and pangolin.

"The creator of the Miraculouses must have been really confused when he saw the animals the Kwamiis resembled." She raised a single eyebrow, the only indication that she picturing the wizard's wild expression.

Honorra chuckled as her whole body wiggled in joy. "Indeed. We couldn't find out what the Miraculouses looked like. There are lot of different accessories out there. The wizard created a variety of them in order to fool people from looking for a fixed item."

"Do you know anything about the test I'm to undergo?" Honorra shook her head, her tail feathers spread far, a sign she was either sad or frustrated. Ning told her to go get some sleep and she would figure it out herself.

Once the computer was off, Ning started to make a list of what she knew so far about this Circle. "One, this Circle revolves around academics. Two, it has been in this area when Belize was still British Honduras. Three, the mark reacted when I was in my meeting. So I wonder? Oh no, I have a feeling where I might find the Keeper."

* * *

A short time later, "Milina Brantiti" left the USA Embassy, rented a car, and drove an hour and half to reach the former capital Belize City, where the police station was. After explaining why she was there, she was sent to the Operation department to meet with the head of the Anti-Drug Unit.

She talked with the sergeant in charge about recent activity and any prisoners they might have. It took some persuading, but she finally got the answers she was looking for. As she left, she suppressed her emotions as much as she could because if she let the fear get to her, she wouldn't be able to go through with her test, which was a very bad one. She might actually die during the test.

Night had fallen and Peace Keeper, was in the most dangerous distract in the city, the southwest. She was hyper aware of everything going around her, mentally marking all the areas where there could be shooters and the angles they had. She had taken prophylactic methods to improve the suit to help her get away or protect her from harm. For added protection, on her person, she was carrying a magical Mayan amulet. Before leaving for Japan, she had packed a few magical items and a book, along with her regular gear.

Peace Keeper kept her cool and walked on to George Street, the central hub of the George Street Bloods, the most powerful and deadliest gang in the whole country. "I would like to talk with the leader of the Bloods. I am unarmed and I am not the police or a government official of this country," she spoke out loud in clear and authoritative tone.

Within seconds, she was surrounded by gang members, many of them pointing guns at her and others leering at her. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in these streets at this hour of night?" one the gang's lieutenants asked her. All around her the other gang members whispered amongst themselves about this crazy lady.

Ning looked directly in the man's eyes, unnerving him. "I already stated why I'm here. I would like to talk with your leader."

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of us. Is this another truce idea?" a different lieutenant demanded, he cocked his gun and kept it steady as he aimed for Peace Keeper's head.

Peace Keeper stood firm and never broke eye contact. Inside one her belt compartments, her amulet activated forming an invisible barrier around her person. Once she felt the magic cover her, Peace Keeper reiterated her request.

"You think just because you're a woman, we'll go easy on you? You might fetch a nice price or be worth a ride or two." Gang members started to laugh and others started pointing out how silly she was dressed. "Why are you wearing a mask? Think you're some kind of super hero?"

"Keeping laughing and you might find out. I won't ask again. I want to speak to your leader now."

The original lieutenant gave her two minutes to get away if she didn't want to be shot. Knowing if she took off she be shot in the back, she refused to be intimidated.

Within seconds the gang members started shooting her with every gun they had. It took every ounce of self-control to not move. The amulet in her belt was shaped like a Balam, a group of five powerful jaguars, whose job was to protect a village or city with four idols placed at the edges of all four direction, in Mayan mythology.

Four balams would sit on those idols and keep watch, while the fifth was in the center coordinating the security efforts. The amulet was a beacon to summon all five balams to protect her.

Deep angry growls carried over the sound of gunfire, startling a few of the gang members. Shadows started to move around from building to building forming a ring around the group.

"Stop shooting! I think I saw something," a member called out.

"There's always something crawling around. We need to ice this woman," the first lieutenant shouted. He moved to reload his gun, but stopped when he felt something staring at him. This time he noticed the shadows moving.

A few other gang members saw what appeared to be paw prints that appeared and disappeared every few seconds. The gang was starting to get nervous. They all stopped shooting and were astonished to see Peace Keeper still standing in place, without a trace of blood or bullet hole in her.

In disbelief, the members started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering who this strange woman was. "All I wanted was to talk to your leader, but you had to use violence. You brought this punishment on yourselves," she commented lightly. Her face became impassive and the Bloods wonder what she meant.

Screams erupted in the air as five, large and shadowy, jaguars leaped from the shadows. They pounced on the gang members, destroying their weapons and mauling them. When a member of the gang tried to escape one balam would block their path and sink their teeth in them.

Residents in the area peeked out their windows astonished by what they saw. Afraid of the mystical jaguars many of them hid or prayed they wouldn't be attacked. It took fifteen minutes for the gang to be defeated and its members dragged out of the city.

Down on the street, Peace Keeper tilted her head when she heard clapping. Her black hair was flying all over the place due to the night breeze, but she pinpointed where the sound was coming from.

With great ease she did three backflips turned to the left, dropping into her fighting stance. Standing on the sidewalk was the leader of the Bloods. The sight of him was enough to trigger the mark, letting Peace Keeper know, this man was the Keeper and had the Miraculouses on him.

"Impressive. Did you train those jaguars? Perhaps, you even own them?" He asked, a deadly smile on his face. He casually moved revealing his gun holster. Judging by the minuscule fabric lying differently, he probably had a spare piece attached to his leg.

"Don't even think about going for that gun. You know who I am and what those jaguars really are. I also know who you really are," Peace Keeper snarled at him. Years of experience helped her calculate how fast the man could reach his weapons and shoot.

The man leaned against the building, his eyes were sparkling yet still had a cold look in them. "Who am I really woman?"

"You're the Keeper and I want what is mine. I passed your test and I will take you on if I have too. This time without magic."

The gang leader smirked, surprised she had figure it out. It was highly unorthodox for a gang leader to be a Keeper, but in a weird way, it made sense. The gang leader had little use for Miraculous based on academics. At the same time, a leader who eventually wanted the killings to stop, would be a person of trust to keep the magical items safe.

"No need for more violence. It's not every day someone can survive being shot at and walk away without a hole in them." He walked over to her and gave her a package. The young agent looked at him and he responded, "You got what you came for, so leave now. I have a gang to reassemble."

* * *

By the time she returned to the Embassy it was almost three in the morning. Ignoring her fatigue, she opened the package. In a Ziploc bag were eight Kwami Charms that looked like the animals Honorra had showed her.

She pulled the eight accessories out and arranged them in the order she had seen the animals in. Each item was unique and colorful. Some of the items surprised her. How in the world did the wizard create so many different accessories, when many of them had not even been invented yet?

There was a blue wristband with a black and white ferret sewn on. A turquoise colored veil, the straps were in the shape of a brown platypus. A red weapon sheath with an orange tarsier stamped on it.

Then, there was a fake purple flower with a green worm on it. Followed by, a peach sash with a navy colored hermit crab. Also, there was a tie which was made to look like a tan aardvark sticking his tongue out.

Lastly, there was off white basket with a regular colored humpback whale decal attached to it, and a masquerade mask shaped like a Chinese pangolin. "The uniqueness of the Miraculouses will never cease to amaze me."

Her mark burned slightly and flipped her palm upright, she saw the letters had changed. Instead of an A, there was now an EC, the next Circle she had to find. She had a strong hunch the Circles were going to be find and understand their abstract nature.

* * *

The next day was a beautiful one for Paris with warm sunshine and only a few clouds in the sky. At school, Ms. Bustier's class was waiting, for their teacher to return with the second book in the Percy Jackson series. They had finished the first book last week and to Ms. Bustier's delight, almost the whole class loved it. The one exception being Chloe, who had only read one page before telling Sabrina to do the reading for her.

"I can't believe we have to read another book in a little kid's book. What is the point of reading something if it doesn't give you fashion tips?" Chloe asked Sabrina, after she had a look at her nails. She needed another manicure and soon.

"The book wasn't that hard to read. Maybe you'll enjoy the second book better than the first?" Sabrina suggested, her hands folded together anxiously. She had liked the book and wanted to read the others or buy them, but she didn't know when she could do that because Chloe never wanted to go to the bookstore, and her dad, determined was she could download to her tablet.

Ms. Bustier entered the classroom smiling. The books in her arm started tumble to the ground. Adrien and Nino caught them before they hit the floor. A relieved expression was on their teacher's face. "Thank you boys. Do you mind handing them out to the class?"

Nino took one side and Adrien did the other. Chloe flashed him a big smile and said thank you when he gave her a copy of the book. "Adrikins, why don't you come over to my place and read the book with me?"

"Sure Chloe, I'll see if it fits into my schedule. I wonder what exciting adventures are going to happen next for Percy."

The class looked opened their books to the first page waiting for their teacher's instructions, but she told them to close their books for now. She wanted to have a discussion before they started reading the book.

"At the end of the first book, Percy was betrayed by Luke, someone he considered a friend and teacher. It didn't matter that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had completed their quest, a fellow demigod was the source of the problem, which almost lead to their death.

Now, in this second book, another adventure will occur. Because of the ending in the first book, the hero Percy doubts himself and his skills, which will play a key role in the second book. If you were in the same position, would you have the same doubts and how would you deal with them?"

The teacher gave them five minutes to talk with one another and come up with an answer. Alix was leaning in to hear Mylene because the girl was talking so softly. Ivan had walked down to sit next to Nathanial, who was showing him a sketch he made to illustrate the situation.

Alya was laughing at something Marinette said, while Nino rolled his eyes. Adrien shoved his best friend gently, indicating he needed to take this seriously. Sabrina, was writing down some ideas for Chloe to use.

Clapping her hands, Ms. Bustier drew their attention back to her. "Remember, there are no wrong answers in this discussion, just honest thoughts." Scanning the room, her eyes came to rest on Kim. She asked him to stand up and tell her what he thought.

Kim puffed out his chest and struck a pose trying to look heroic. "I be a bit bummed out that my friend betrayed me, but I wouldn't let it keep me down. I know I'm impressive and to prove it I just have to work on being more awesome."

The boys clapped their hands while the girls looked away, annoyed at the typical male response. Kim kept boosting how great he was and nothing that happened to the protagonist would ever happen to him.

Knowing the girls wanted some relief from the macho man, Ms. Bustier called on Mylene, who stood up and was trying to keep her anxiety under control. Her hands gripped the front of her outfit and she spoke up. "I would have a lot of doubts in my mind. Even doubts about my doubts. I think I would need someone to help me overcome them and make sure I was okay."

"No surprise there, considering you're frightened of your own shadow at times," Chloe remarked. Mylene trembled and Ivan glared at Chloe for her awful remark.

Ms. Bustier walked over to Chloe's desk and told her to look at her. "Chloe, you can voice your own opinions later, but remember, we don't speak poorly to others in this room." She walked back to her desk satisfied she had done her job. She pushed away any doubts she had about Chloe never learning to be polite to others.

* * *

While the heroes were in school, at Master Fu's, the Great Guardian was trying to figure out what mirror angle to use, in order to figure out what EC stood for. Master Fu was using a small hand mirror as he moved it slowly across the page.

Fu looked up from his work and smiled at what he saw. Wayzz and Honorra, were having a meal together. The little magpie was slowly and daintily using a spoon to scoop tiny amounts of rice pudding into her mouth, careful to not slurp.

Wayzz, was happily enjoying his baby carrots and taking a sip of tea. Seeing the tea reminded Master Fu, he had promised Honorra, the next time he went grocery shopping, he would buy her some juice to drink.

"It's nice to see you two sharing a meal together. May I ask, what you two have planned for today?" The Kwamiis had slowly been attempting to bond, but had yet to do anything really big.

Honorra put her spoon down and twisted around gleefully before replying, "I started my own YouTube account! I just collect videos, not post anything. We're going to listen and watch some of my favorite videos!" She then turned serious again. "Of course my activity will be second as Wayzz has been here the longest."

Wayzz nodded in agreement. It was very polite for the host to go first. "I thought for my activity, we could do something I like. I enjoy meditating in my little Zen garden."

Honorra eyes widened in confusion. Her "cousin" had a real garden? Where could it be? The building didn't even have a yard of any kind. She opened her mouth to ask a question only for Wayzz to tell her to follow him.

He led her into Master Fu's bedroom and pulled a planter out from under the bed. The planter was full of sand with a tiny rake and some rocks making it an ideal place for meditation. Wayzz carefully moved his Zen Garden so the sunlight would heat up the sand.

In the center of the garden, there were three rocks the formed a circle. Wayzz sat on the formation before assuming his meditation pose. He soon started to hum to himself, reaching a place of tranquility.

Honorra landed in the sand and immediately regretted it. The sand was getting stuck in her feathers causing her to itch badly. She frantically tried to clean the sand off. "My poor tail, my feathers look ready to molt because of the sand. Ow! I can't scratch my back!"

She grabbed the little rake in her tiny paws and used it as a backscratcher to relieve some of the pain. She hopped up and down as the hot sand burned her feet. "I'm all for sunning, but this is ridiculous."

Desperate to relieve her pain, she spotted a small bench in the far right corner near a small pond. Levitating over the area, she carefully lowered herself in the water, freeing herself of the gritty and itchy sand. Once clean, she sat on the bench, letting the sun dry her.

Time passed and when the sun finally stopped warming the sand, Wayzz opened his eyes and stretched. "I feel very refreshed. It's always wonderful to clear your mind is it not Honarra?" He looked to his left, believing she would be meditating next to him, but she wasn't there.

The sound of sleepy breathing made the kwami shift to the far right corner. Lying fully on the bench was a sleeping Honorra. Her feathers were almost completely dried. There was a small sore on her back from digging the rake too deeply into her body to relieve the itching.

Wayzz rolled his eyes, before going to the bathroom and coming back with a small bandage and disinfectant. "Just a dab of this," he said to himself, noting Honorra shivering when the disinfectant touched her. "Then a bandage and voila, all better."

Honorra's eyes opened her eyes and blinked a few times. "Wayzz, what did you, oh thank you. I didn't realize the wound was so deep. Having sand on my skin makes it very irritable.

"If I had known that, I probably would have picked a different activity," the turtle admitted. He had forgot that not all Kwamiis enjoyed sand as much as he did. Pointing to her back, "You're wound should heal by the end of the week, or sooner, if you ask Fu about it."

"Maybe tomorrow, for now it's time for my activity." After they slid the little Zen Garden under the bed again, they went back to the kitchen/dining room. They could hear through the wall, the Great Guardian helping a client while asking questions.

The two Kwamiis landed on the table, picked up the tablet, and carefully made their way back to the bedroom. "Make sure to lock the door, so no one can get in," Honorra reminded Wayzz as they set the device down on the bed. The green turtle went back and made sure the door to the apartment was locked tightly.

Back in the bedroom, Honorra had logged into her account HonorBird and keyed up a video. Someone had created a video containing many different clips of Ladybug and Chat Noir, then added the song, "Try Everything," from Disney Zootopeia, as background music.

"Hope you love this one. Play!" Honorra tapped her tiny paw as hard as she could as the video started playing. She bopped her head along with the music while Wayzz watched her wondering if her head was going to fall off.

"Try everything, try everything, try everything!" Honorra closed her eyes and sang out loud. The beat to the song was fantastic. When the video ended, she paused her account and looked over to Wayzz. "Did you like it?"

"I wasn't paying much attention to the video or the song. You distracted me with your dancing, I believe it is called."

Putting her paws on her hip she glared at him. "I happen to like dancing and singing. Here, focus on this video. This one is called, "Biker Chick," by Jo Dee Mesina. I hope you like it."

The country singer's voice was very good Wayzz thought to himself. His antenna bounced in time with the rhythm. The song was about a girls at bar discussing what type of man they liked. The singer went on to describe a motorcycle rider and how she wanted to be a biker chick.

"Interesting song Honorra. This song though, seems to mean more to you than me. I like listening to the sounds of nature or wind chimes playing notes."

The magpie rolled her eyes. "You need to get out of your comfort zone sometime soon Wayzz. The music festival this weekend is sure to make you broaden your horizons."

* * *

On Saturday, Marinette stopped by Master Fu's to pick up Honorra and Wayzz. Honorra had begged to be allowed outside the apartment, as she wanted to be close to the music festival. Wayzz, was reluctantly following her, to make sure she didn't cause trouble.

Eyeing the two Kwamiis, Marinette clutched her hands and turned to Master Fu. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You said that we shouldn't risk having more activate Miraculous wielders."

Master Fu smiled at her. "True, no other Miraculouses should be released," he replied before giving her a wink. "The same thing doesn't necessarily apply to the Kwamiis in this situation.

Honorra has been cooped up at my home for weeks, only being able to see the outside world from a computer. She needs some fresh air and to experience the modern world. Wayzz and Tikki will make sure nothing goes wrong."

From Marinette's purse, Tikki popped her head out. "It will be fine Marinette. We have enough snacks to eat and we'll be safe in your purse. Nothing is going to happen."

The bluenette hoped so. She started walking towards the river looking for Juleka's houseboat _Liberty._ Marinette had never been on a houseboat before or near any of the small communities of them docked on one side of the Seine. This was going to be a fascinating experience.

Inside the purse, Honorra was trying to contain her excitement. "I can't wait to start hearing the music from all over Paris! It's been so long since I attended a concert. I'm interested in the new styles."

Wayzz leaned back and started nibbling on a baby carrot. "Couldn't we have watched the event on TV?"

"Oh Wayzz, how long has it been since _you_ left the apartment? This is going to be fun. Marinette always leaves a tiny space open for me to glimpse at the world outside, so we don't even have to leave the purse to see anything."

The purse swung a bit as Tikki's wielder stepped onto the houseboat, swaying a bit as she regained her balance. Peeking through the tiny opening Honorra got her first look at some of Marinette's classmates.

There was Nino preparing the DJ area while Alya and Mylene set up the equipment. Ivan was assembling the drum set as Rose made sure the microphones were working. Juleka was tuning her guitar, a smile on her face, she was really excited to be part of the music festival.

"So those kids are Marinette's classmates? I've only ever heard names, never seen a picture," Honorra whispered. She floated back to allow Tikki to see who was there before identifying them for her "cousin".

The purse swung around and they heard Marinette talking to Alya about how she was disappointed that Adrien couldn't come to the concert. "He was really looking forward to being part of the band tonight, but he made one mistake playing the piano to his father, and now he has to spend all day practicing."

"Mr. Agreste really is a stickler for perfection isn't he?" Alya remarked to her. "Can you get that statue over there?"

Marinette nodded as she went to get the small metal statue and started to place it on the compass, when Anarka Couffaine, Juleka's mother, shouted at her to stop. "Don't you know anything girly? You never place metal near the compass, otherwise the needle with lead you to your doom. Don't want to sink the ship now do you?"

Marinette gulped at the sight of this woman. Juleka's mom was only slightly bigger than her, gray and green hair tied in a French braid, and her sky blue eyes had a wild look to them. She was wearing bright red glasses and a black coat with a gold trim that reaches her knees, over a light pink top and light blue jeans. She had on heeled brown boots which went halfway up her calves.

For accessories; she was wearing earring with alternating aqua and red spheres, and a variety of bracelets and bangles. She also wore three rings on every finger except for her ring finger on her right hand. Anarka also had on an indigo headband with a violet flower on it.

"I didn't mean to cause a problem. I'll be careful next time."

"Good girly! Now, why don't you get Luka up here and you kids can blow me away with your awesome music!"

"Luka?"

From outside on the deck Juleka's voice could be heard. "My brother, he's below deck in his room, tuning his guitar."

Marinette was surprised, she didn't know Juleka had a brother, but then again, Juleka rarely liked to talk. Going below deck, she followed the music until she found a boy about her age with dark green hair and blue eyes, sitting on his bed playing his guitar.

The music was rock and roll, but softer with a bit of romance. The teenage girl sat on the bed and started humming along. Luka grinned and continued to play listening to the heroine humming along.

"Nice vocals. You have a good voice."

"You have gifted hands. That was a beautiful tune for an electric guitar. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm Juleka's friend and classmate."

"Luka Couffaine, Juleka's brother. It's a pleasure to meet you. You like rock and roll?"

Marinette pointed to the poster of Jagged Stone, hanging on the wall next to the guitar pick collection. "Jagged Stone is my favorite musician. I did two commissions for him."

Luka looked at her impressed. "You like my guitar pick collection? Each of them are from a famous guitarist. They remind me how everyone starts small, but can become big with practice."

Marinette commented it was an impressive collection. When Luka gave her one, she tried to protest before taking it. After talking for a few minutes they went up to the deck to rehearse the concert.

Inside the purse, Honorra was trying to sit still and eat the bit of rice that had been packed for her. "When do you think they'll start playing? Soon, I hope. After that, we can watch the other performers."

"Hopefully, the music isn't too loud. I don't want to be deaf," Wayzz told the two females. The turtle kwami must have jinxed them because a few seconds later very, very, **very** loud music played as the purse vibrated violently.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?" he demanded, shouting to be heard over the music.

"I THINK THIS IS WHAT THEY CALL OUT OF CONTROL MUSIC!" Tikki shouted in response.

"MUSIC SHOULD NOT BE PLAYED SO LOUD!" Honorra added to the conversation.

Thankfully, the music stopped. The Kwamiis rubbed their ears, attempting to get them to stop ringing. Sneaking a peek out of the purse, Honorra saw Anarka in a shouting match with police officer Roger.

He was giving her lots of tickets and in response she kept acting even more like a pirate, even saying she make him walk the plank if he didn't stop issuing tickets and telling her that she couldn't do her concert.

Roger gave her one more ticket and told her if she didn't follow the rules, she would be arrested for noise violation. He left the houseboat and headed back on patrol.

"That scurvy dog, how dare he ticket me?" Anarka shouted, ripping up the tickets. "I am free to do what I want!" she stormed off angrily. Her children, looked at each other, hoping she would be okay.

* * *

It turned out Anarka wasn't okay. Hawkmoth had transformed her and her boat into a nasty noise blasting pirate and ship. She imprisoned all the kids in chains below deck and ordered her boat to head down the Seine at full speed. Her goal was to blast all the other performers out of the city for good.

Tikki quickly freed Marinette and Luka, who thought she used the guitar pick. Captain Hardrock was alerted by the _Liberty_ about the escape attempt. "Nobody escapes my ship unless I throw them in the drink!" Racing downstairs, she ignored the other prisoners and cut her way into Luka's room.

In the room, Luka was standing by a porthole, yelling out for Marinette to swim for it. Captain Hardrock snarled. "My own crew betrays me? You're going to be the first to walk the plank!"

She threw a chain and locked Luka back up again. She dragged him outside the room, and hung him on the wall, before heading back up to the deck. "My first target! Jagged Stone shall be destroyed, the worthless landlubber will never play an instrument again!"

Back in Luka's room, the three Kwamiis phased out of the long drawer under the bed and pulled it out, revealing a hidden Marinette. "It's time this pirate learned to follow the rules. Wayzz, Honorra, stay hidden in my purse. I'm going after Captain Hardrock."

"But we can help!" the little magpie protested. She didn't want to be left behind. "I spent a long time in Limbo. I need to feel useful again."

"Sorry, but you need to conserve your strength. Tikki, Spots On!" Ladybug emphasized staying put one more time before she went after the Akuma.

Honorra fluffed her feathers before levitating towards the window. "You can stay here Wayzz, but I'm going to help."

"Are you mad? Ladybug told us to hide remember? Without our Miraculouses, we can't transform anybody. On our own, we don't have the ability to face the Akuma."

Honorra huffed, stating she wasn't going after the akumatized villain. She was going to find a way to slow down the ship. She zipped out the porthole, heading for the back of the ship, Wayzz followed to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

Honorra looked down in the river, and saw the keel of the ship moving furiously through the water. "If I damage the keel, the boat will lose stability and drift sideways."

Wayzz came up next to her. "We could also lower the anchor to keep the ship from moving."

Honorra pointed out the ship was alive and it would surely pull the anchor back up before speeding ahead. They both covered their ears as a loud sound wave blasted Jagged Stone's stage to bits.

"The further downriver, the more people will be. If that sonic cannon fires again, who knows what structures would break and harm civilians. We need to this boat to run aground," the female kwami emphasized as her eyes got really big with fear.

Wayzz nodded, knowing they had to do something. "We could drop the anchor and then wrap it around the keel. When the _Liberty_ reels the anchor back, the keel will be torn off and we'll start to drift."

"Worth a try." The two Kwamiis phased into the pirate ship and looked below deck. Since the ship had been changed from a houseboat to a pirate ship, the anchor would have to be lifted up manually, instead of an electric signal.

Wayzz spotted in first. The anchor was locked in place and you need to throw a lever to make the anchor to deploy. "If we work together, we can move the lever."

The two small gods started to push on the lever with all their power. The lever didn't budge. They changed their positions and pushed again. This time the lever released the anchor dropping it into the water.

The two of them hurried, taking a deep breath, before diving in the water. They were two small to move the heavy anchor, so Wayzz focused all his energy into using his ability.

Slowly, the anchor's color changed from grey to green. With the ship's spirit under control, Honorra managed to guide the anchor into place before signaling Wayzz to stop.

Surfacing, the two Kwamiis watched as the anchor destroyed the keel when it pulled too hard to get the anchor back up. The boat wobbled and swayed before it was blown to the side and run aground on the stone streets lining the Seine.

Without the pirate ship acting as back up, Captain Hardrock was easier to subdue. The Lucky Charm, a chain, was used to tie her hands together so she dropped the microphone turned cutlass.

Chat Noir broke the object releasing the akuma. Ladybug purified it and restored everything to normal. Thankfully, the two Kwamiis managed to get back to the purse before Marinette came back for it.

A bit later the three Kwamiis watched and listened to Marinette's friends playing their concert, the volume turned down to sensible levels. Today had been an awesome adventure.


	5. Challenges Ahead

Today was a special day at school. It was Ms. Bustier's birthday today! Her entire class couldn't wait to give her their gifts. Rose showed everyone the scrapbook she had designed for their teacher. "It has photos from all our class activities along with small notes of appreciation for all the things she does for us. My favorite is when all share one compliment with another student!" The perky blond told the group.

"I made her this comic," Nathanial said, as he pulled out a small three page comic, out of his backpack. The redhead had drawn their teacher wearing a superhero costume and saving the school from danger.

"That's a pretty awesome gift Nathanial, I'm starting to wonder if my gift is as wholesome as yours," Marinette stated. She had a small pink box in her hands and was biting her lip with anxiety.

"Don't worry girl. Your gift is from your heart so Ms. Bustier will love it," Alya assured her best friend; even giving her a hug. "We should all put our gifts away until after lunch when we finally have class with her today."

The students all nodded and opened their lockers and secured their gifts. Sabrina was putting two gifts in her locker. "I know you have trouble remembering birthdays, so I got two gifts. Ones from me and other will be from you!"

"Keep your voice down! I don't want anyone to hear you." Everyone looked at Chloe wondering what she was yelling about.

"Nothing to see here. Just having a conversation with my best friend, right Sabrina?" Sabrina nodded and quickly left the lockers heading for her first class.

Chloe didn't follow her. She opened her locker as she pretended to look for something. When the last student left, she pulled out a permanent ink pen. She had forgotten it was Ms. Bustier's birthday today, even with the email reminder she had gotten.

"I will not be laughed at by the class for whatever cheap trinket Sabrina got. I'll make sure someone else gift is ruined. Opening up Marinette's locker, she opened the box, which contained a tube of lipstick and a lovely pink makeup pouch. Grinning, she scribbled all over it, before returning it to the box and leaving.

Lunchtime came and went, as the class all got their gifts out of their lockers to give to their teacher. Ms. Bustier had a big happy smile on her face, thanking everyone for wishing her happy birthday.

"I'm very excited to see so many students, think I'm a good teacher. I would love to see what each of your special gifts and thank you personally for each of them, before we begin our lesson for today."

The students came up one at a time in alphabetical order. Adrien, who had needed some help to pick a gift, was first. He hopped anxiously on one foot as his teacher opened his gift to her.

"This is such lovely and thoughtful gift Adrien," Ms. Bustier told him. Her eyes twinkled in delight as she showed the class the place marker with her name on it. "Thank you kindly Adrien."

She shook the blond's hand as he used the other to scratch the back of his head, glad that his gift was appropriate for her. The rest of the students followed afterwards.

"Chloe's" gift was some fancy soaps. Alya had given Ms. Bustier a new planner for next year. When Marinette brought up her gift, she couldn't wait to see her teacher's reaction.

Ms. Bustier took out the lipstick, noting the light pink would look nice when she wore it. She removed the make-up pouch and was surprised by all the scribbles on it. "It's lovely Marinette, we're you trying a new design when you made this?"

The bluenette had a look of shock on her face. The pink pouch with a quote written on it, had black scribbles all over it. Someone had wiped out the quote and replaced it with the words, "rejected designer."

"What in the world? How did this happen! It wasn't like this when I left it in my locker this morning. Someone ruined my gift." Tears were building up in her eyes as she clenched her hands in sadness and anger.

Ms. Bustier came out from behind her desk and rubbed her hand over Marinette's back. "It's alright Marinette, I know this isn't how you wanted it to look, but I still love it. I'm also sure the person responsible feels sorry too."

The bluenettte whispered that she was sure the person didn't feel about what they had done. Marinette watched sadly as the others gave their gifts to the teacher. When Sabrina gave her gift to the teacher and it was the same as Chloe's, anger coursed through her body.

It wasn't unusual for Sabrina to do shopping or chores for the blond. What was unusual, was they both gave the same gift to the teacher. Chloe would have demanded Sabrina buy something extravagant and grand for her to use as a gift, not the same thing.

I can't believe Chloe would do something so spiteful! I didn't do anything to her and she decides to pull this stunt to embarrass me? I wish she would get what was coming to her, she thought. She clenched her hands hard, not noticing when a small creature flew in through an open window towards her.

There was a small gasp as everyone in the room moved backwards to avoid an akuma that had just appeared. It was heading for Marinette. "NO! Stay away!" The teenage girl, frantically tried to calm down as the evil butterfly came closer. She still had nightmares about being Dreamwalker.

* * *

At the last second someone pushed Marinette out of the way. Something clattered to the floor. The class looked in shock as the butterfly mask lit up around their teacher's face.

"Leave, my students alone! I won't let you hurt them." The kids watched as Ms. Bustier dropped to her knees on the steps, her face distorted in pain. She was fighting Hawkmoth and slowly losing as the purple smoke began to swirl around her.

"Quick, get the lipstick!" Alix shouted, pointing at the tube that was starting to change with their teacher. Ivan lunged for it, but he was to slow. He missed the item by an inch as the newly transformed teacher picked it up.

The class looked at their Akumatized teacher in horror. She looked like a zombie ready to go to a dance party. She put the lipstick on and introduced herself. "I'm Zombizou and I'm ready to spread love everywhere!"

She pulled Ivan up off the floor and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His eyes glazed over and he said, "Kissy, Kissy, love everywhere." He went over to Mylene and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Seconds later she was attempting to do the same thing."

"RUN! Don't let them kiss you!" Marinette shouted, pointing her classmates to the door. The student's ran out, but Alix was caught and was kissed, so she started pursuing after them.

Zombizou stepped out of the classroom. Other teachers had entered the hall to see what was going on. "Spread the love today. As long as we love one another, no one gets hurt!" She blew kisses at all the teachers, who fell under her spell.

The students Ms. Bustier's class ran into the locker room and jammed the door shut. They could hear the rest of the school slowly turning into zombies. Through the windows, they could see the zombified students making their way towards the locker room.

"This is bad, we need to get out of the school and somewhere safe, until Ladybug and Chat Noir get here," Marinette advised.

"Why should we listen to _you_ Marinette?" Chloe sneered haughty "If you hadn't gotten upset over your little gift getting scribbles on it, then Ms. Bustier would be fine."

"I wouldn't have gotten upset if you hadn't ruined my gift by making the scribbles in the first place!" The bluenette barked back. The other students looked at her and Alya demanded the truth.

"So, I improved her gift, what's the problem?"

"This is so typical for you Chloe! You never care about other people's feelings or take responsibilities for your actions!" Nino shouted at the blond. Others would have joined him, but the door was starting to give way.

"Go you guys! Marinette and I, will stay and hold them off. Don't worry, just go!"

Their friends reluctantly left them, climbing out of the window towards the roof. With no witnesses, the duo transformed. "You go help the students, I'll do my best to keep the zombies back. Only use your Lucky Charm when the moment is perfect," Chat Noir told her.

That moment came when everyone, but Ladybug and Chloe, had been turned into zombies. In uncharacteristic act, Chloe protected Ladybug, so the spotted heroine could use the makeup remover Lucky Charm, to get rid of the lipstick and turn everyone back to normal.

* * *

While Ladybug and Chat Noir were saving Paris in the afternoon, it was early morning, when Ms. Brantiti plane arrived just outside Dover, Delaware. Her plane had been heading to New York City, but had to be diverted to Chandelle Estates Airport due to weather conditions.

Instead of being upset, the UN agent had been delighted. Her mark had been going crazy since she arrived, which no doubt mean the Elemental Creatures Miraculous Circle, was somewhere in the city.

I still can't believe there's an abstract circle about the twelve elements. I can barely wrap my mind around it, even after Master Fu explained it to me last night, the young woman thought to herself.

Last night, she had contacted Master Fu and he was excited to tell her what he had found out about the Circle she was currently searching for. After all this was Circle with powers everyone dreamed about having from time to time.

"I have successfully decoded another Circle. The key to learning about it was to use two hand mirrors, one reflecting the page, the other to make the instructions show up clearly," the old man had explained, as he had stroked his goatee.

He had tilted the book up so she could read the page title, Elemental Creatures Miraculous Circle. Her face had twisted into confusion. "I don't understand how this is possible. Elements are _not_ abstract. You can use all five senses to interact with them."

Master Fu nodded in agreement, but kept smiling. Wayzz and Honorra had appeared by this time. The green turtle antenna had been twitching, while Honorra had been wiggling in excitement. "While the elements themselves are not abstract, the _creatures_ of legend associated with them, are abstract in thought."

"Come again?"

Honorra couldn't contain herself. She started signing the answer. "Humans of the past, they believed that animals created the elements. There were creatures who created the main elements and used them create another one. The complimentary elements came from myths formed their own element together. The metaphysical elements number two, that's why there are twelve!"

By the end of the signing, Honorra was dancing in the air. Fu had plucked the blue, white, and black magpie, out of the air, before placing her gently on her little pillow on the table. Wayzz held her in place so she wouldn't start dancing again.

"The creatures of the elements existed long before science could explain them in a non-abstract idea. You need to find them quickly. This Circle's Miraculous will be in accessories you have seen before," the old man had explained, showing her picture of previous accessories for Miraculouses. "We need a bit more time to figure out which legendary creatures are associated with all the elements."

* * *

In the present, Ms. Brantiti was looking over a physical map of Dover. Technology and magic, didn't always work well together. In some cases, it was better for a person, to use an old fashion form of something, to find what they wanted.

Holding her palm over the map, "Milina" ran her hand across the map, trying to get a reaction. She wasn't sure what kind Keeper, she would encounter during this stage of her quest, but hopefully, it would not be another gang leader.

Her hand started to burn when her hand neared an area with lots of bed and breakfast businesses happened to be located. Taking out a magnifying glass, she enlarged the area so she could see what she was searching for.

Her eyes paid attention to details, checking each address and what business there was. The magnifying glass hovered over a historical bed and breakfast, the State Street Inn. By now, she was use to the heat forming on her palm.

Pulling out her phone, she looked up the State Street Inn's website. It was very charming place in a Tudor style located in the historical Victorian area of the city. The rooms came with four poster beds, private bathroom, and free bottle water.

Milina dialed the Inn's number and was immediately connected with front desk. "My name is Milina Brantiti. I was calling to see if you had a room open for a last minute guest? I was supposed to be going to New York, but my plane got diverted here. You do? Great! When's check in? I'll see you then." She rubbed her Kwami Charm necklace, fingering them one by one. "Thanks again for the help my friends. I hope you continue to help me, the best you can."

Since, she had to wait until three in the afternoon to check in, she decided to go to the library and do some research in the local history of the city. "It couldn't hurt to find out about the Inn's history, so I know where to look precisely for a hidden Circle of Miraculouses."

Thirty minutes later she had rented a nondescript black car and had found the library. She was issued a guest pass so she could exam the books in the library. The local history books had blue covers and a red spine. Each book contained laminated sections of newspaper clippings as visual aids to the written words on the pages. The pages themselves were still white and had not yellowed with age.

Sitting on an oak wood chair in a small study room, Milina opened the first book, thumbed down the table of contents, before flipping the book to page she wanted. The page was the basic summary of the local history.

"The city of Dover was founded in 1683 by William Penn. It became the capital of Delaware in 1777 due to its key location and could be easily defended from British forces during the Revolutionary War.

The city was dived on the issue of slavery during the Civil War. Many communities, especially the Quaker's, believed in the emancipation of all slaves. The city itself was a stop on the Underground Railroad. While there was slavery in Dover for a time, the numbers were much smaller than other states.

Dover has a growing population due to low living costs in the city. Major employers include the state government, the Dover Airforce Base, and factories for food and outer space products.

The city continues to thrive as transportation stations increase around the city. Half of all electricity to the city is provided by the local solar farm. Health care benefits and access to facilities has increased."

The book was informative, but didn't have the details she was looking for. Pulling another book out of the pile, she started reading about the Victorian Dover Historic Distract.

Victorian Dover Historic District is a national historic district located at Dover, Kent County, Delaware. It encompasses 482 contributing buildings representative of the community's commercial, domestic and industrial development between the first quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. Notable buildings include the Wesley United Methodist Church (c. 1850), Whatcoat United Methodist Church (1871-1872), Dover's Railroad Station (1860s, 1911), Capitol Theatre (1903-1904), and Priscilla Block (1896). Located in the district is the separately listed John Bullen House. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Again, helpful, but still not enough to know where in the area the Miraculouses could be. She scoured the books looking for one about the history of the District and finally found one about the State Street Inn itself.

"The State Street Inn is located in a historic Tudor Revival home at 228 N State Street. The home is part of the Victorian Dover Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built circa 1911 for Mr. and Mrs. Walt Conaway.

Later, it was the home of Simeon Selby Pennewill (1867-1935), who served as Delaware's Governor from 1909-1913. Governor Pennewill was elected as a 41-year-old bachelor, although he was married twice later in life. Before serving as Governor, he served two terms in the Delaware State Senate. He was educated nearby at the Wilmington Conference Academy, which later became Wesley College.

At some point in time, the home was converted to a bed-and-breakfast called the "Tudor House." Sadly, the inn eventually closed and fell into disrepair.

In 2003, the home was purchased by Mike and Yvonne Hall. From 2003-2005, the home was extensively renovated and returned to bed-and-breakfast use. The kitchen was updated, and many of the home's original features were restored.

In 2017, the Inn was sold to its current owners, the Breukelman family.

Today, the home retains its historic charm. The State Street Inn is nestled among a diverse collection of stately homes, most constructed during the late 19th or early 20th centuries."

Closing the book, she had her answer. "The Miraculouses are somewhere inside the State Street Inn, it was operational around the time the Guardians disappeared. Hopefully, no one discovered them during the renovations."

* * *

Finally, it was time to check in at the Inn. When she arrived, she took her bags out of the car, adjusted them so it would appear she was struggling under the weight and walked in.

A lady was standing behind the desk. "Hello and welcome to the State Street Inn. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I ugh, let me put this luggage down first." She knelt down and discreetly took out a small Ranger-R robot and instructed it to go through the entire building and catalog what it saw behind the walls or underneath the foundation.

Standing back up, Milina straightened her hair/wig, and continued talking to the lady at the desk. "My name is Milina Brantiti. I called earlier today to book a room."

The lady eyes lit up in recognition. "Our last minute guest. So your plane was diverted. I'm surprised you didn't wait at the airport for a flight to New York City."

Milina waved her hand, "I've been traveling for a long time, due to my job. I just wanted to take a little break before heading home. I can spare a day or two."

The clerk laughed, saying she could use a break sometimes to. The clerk, who turned out to be one of the owners, Mrs. Breukelman, gave the keys to the Blue Room, and pointed in the direction it was.

The Blue Room was gorgeous. There was a freshly made bed with blue sheets on it and blue flower wallpaper covered the entire room. The dresser was quaint and she loved the two rocking chairs in the room. The bathroom was simple, with a large mirror above the sink. This was a nice place to stay.

In the privacy of her room, the UN agents took off her wig and removed the makeup putty restoring her face to normal. "It feels good to be myself, even if it's only a little while. Maybe I'll take a short nap. The Ranger-R robot won't be done for a little while."

She snuggled the pillow and fell asleep right away. With her room in the back of the inn, she didn't hear any noise from outside. It felt so good to be resting and not worrying about anything, at least not for a while.

A sharp poking woke the young woman up a short time later. She snagged the sharp appendage and held the little robot in the air. It stopped moving after a few seconds.

Placing the robot on her bed, she opened a small panel and took out the memory card. Using her special computer, she upload the images and used a program to create a three dimensional design of all the scans together.

Rotating the model, she looked at the scans. All the plumbing and wiring had been installed correctly. There were no animals in the walls thankfully. Tapping the keys, she looked for hidden spaces in the walls.

"Hmm, the renovation of this place was thorough. If there had been a secret panel or room, then it didn't exist anymore. "Okay, I need to check the other buildings on the property, there might be something there."

Putting her face back together, she locked the door, and then proceed to walk out the front door and leaned against the wrap around porch rail. "There's nothing under the porch and my mark didn't go off in the parking lot, so I have to go see if the other building has a hidden space."

* * *

The other building on the property, which contained a small gym and hot tube. There was also a laundry room. Carefully, pulling the Ranger-R robot out of her pocket, she switched it to handheld mode, and started to slowly search each wall in the building.

As she scanned the room, she slowly tapped her feet and would press her hand against the floor, testing to see if there was a hollow section in the floor, or the level was different in parts of the room.

"Nothing. There's no hidden room, the floor is all level. The Miraculouses aren't in this building. I'm going to have to figure out who the Keeper is, so I can get the Miraculouses."

Since a bed and breakfast didn't serve dinner, Milina walked a short distance to a diner to get some food. When she came back, she was surprised to find Mrs. Breukelman sitting by the fire place with two cups of ginger ale. "Please sit, Ms. Brantiti. I would love to have a nice conversation with you, if that's alright."

"Of course." She took her seat and sipped the ginger ale. Her taste buds, sent a signal to her brain, letting her know how enjoyable the drink was. Relaxing, she asked what the owner would like to talk about.

"You mentioned you travel for your job. What do you do exactly?"

Smiling, she replied. "I work as an attaché to a member of the UN Security Council. I enjoying helping bringing peace to the world."

"That's very interesting. Tell me more."

Milina obliged the woman, talking more about her job and telling her some of the places she traveled. Mrs. Breaukelman questioned her about the morality of her job and how did it effect Milina personally.

"Morality is something difficult to gauge at times. You walk a fine line between cultural beliefs and personal opinion. Compromise is difficult to achieve. Yet, it is the only way to make progress at times. Teamwork is essential to life and peace."

"Nicely said, young Apprentice." When Milina didn't react at all to the title, merely asked what she was talking about. "I'm sure you know what I mean Guardian. After all, you protect the world from harm."

"Ma' me I'm not a guardian of anything. While it's true I do my best to help the world, I alone cannot accomplish anything by myself."

Mrs. Breauklman left the room and went towards the private residential area in the inn. She came back carrying an old jewelry box with Kwami Charms decorating the top of the box.

"I know who you are young lady. During the renovations, this box was found, along with notes, explaining their purposes. The previous owners followed the notes and when they past ownership to us, I promised to be the Keeper."

She sent the box down on the table and opened the hinged lid. There were twelve different jewelry items in the box. "You past my test of trustworthiness. By explaining your morality and not cracking under pressure I knew I had found an Apprentice. Especially, when your palm started to glow."

"I should have covered my palm up," Milina whispered to herself. Scooting her chair over, she took the items out and examined each one. The first item she pulled out was a crewneck necklace made out of silver and blue crystals in the shape of a flying fish.

"Undines, some said the myth of little water spirits, were actually people seeing flying fish," Milina explained out loud. The owner of the inn listened calmly as the inspection of the Miraculouses continued.

There was a ruby cuff with a fire salamander cut into it. When these creatures were first discovered, no one knew they were amphibians, believing they were born out of the fire, they ran away from.

The gnome/mole cameo was cut in white rock attached to an emerald frame. There was also a white and gray penannular broach with a sylph/moth on it. The gryphon brown and gold tooth comb was lovely.

For ice, there was a signet ring with a polar bear on it. A pair of dangling yellow lightning wolves' earrings looked nice next to the green and brown goat wood gypsy style anklet. There was platinum medallion with a condor on it representing gravity.

There was a rock cartouche in the shape of a scarab for quintessence, (life energy), along with some multi colored bangles that create the image of a sunbird representing light. Lastly, there was a small cape with a black jaguar (black panther), sewn on it for darkness.

As soon as she finished putting the Miraculouses and the charms in the magic box, she flipped her left palm up and watched as the next series of letters appeared on the mark. IMC. "I wonder what this one means?"

* * *

The next day in Paris, Marinette and Adrien, were spending an hour together in Adrien's home. Mr. Agreste went through periods when he wouldn't let Adrien leave the house, except for school or photoshoots, after an akuma attack, then lessen his grip and allow his son to have his limited freedom again.

Marinette was the only person, allowed to see Adrien, at his home during these periods. At first, they made the bluenette really nervous. Despite being a brilliant designer, Mr. Agreste cold nature made it difficult to be in his house. These days, she felt slightly less nervous.

In Adrien's room, Marinette was sitting on the couch, kicking her legs out every few seconds. In her hands was a math book, but she wasn't studying math at the moment. In the book a smaller, ladybug themed, diary sat.

Sitting in his computer chair, facing Marinette, Adrien ran his hand through his blond hair and stared down at his own math book. Like Marinette, he had Chat Noir, styled journal sitting inside his school textbook. The old journals had been completely full, which is why they needed to purchase new ones. "Remind me why we have to do this again?"

"Because the old man told you too?" Plagg stated. He was lying on the computer desk, on top of sock, munching on his cheese slices. The cat kwami rolled over on his stomach and smirked at his wielder. "You can't tell me writing is harder than sitting still forever to take a few photos."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "He has the Book now, so why should we still be chronicling about our adventures?"

Marinette leaned over the table and tapped him on the nose. "It is always a good idea to keep a backup. Besides, the Book, doesn't answer every question." She leaned back into the couch and started writing again.

She was currently writing in the diary about the fight yesterday. She highlighted how Hawkmoth had been able to manipulate a good thought into a bad one. Looking up at Tikki, Marinette spoke. "How did Hawkmoth manipulate Ms. Bustier's desire to protect us, into something bad?"

Tikki cupped her chin for a few seconds, then replied. "The desire to protect someone stems from a person's fear. She was fearful for all of you. He twisted that fear into something he could use to create Zombizou."

"Why did that akuma appear for me? Hawkmoth released me and gave me some protection before, so why did he send another one?"

"He probably sensed your emotions and decided to take the opportunity to draw out someone else to be possessed by the akuma. He could akumatized you again if he chose, but I don't think that's likely. Just remember to keep your Miraculous on and don't create an emotional spike," Tikki advised.

"My sweet "sister" is right. Ladybugs are usually happy and positive. Black cats tend to be use to disappointment, so their negative thoughts aren't that appealing."

Adrien swatted at the kwami, who just phased through the boy's hand. "I am not always disappointed," he hissed. Picking up his pen again, he wrote what Plagg had just said in tiny letters.

"So any other secrets you would like to share Plagg? Is your bottomless gut already known about?" Plagg laughed at him as if the question should have an obvious answer.

He wrote about falling under Zombizou's curse, pressing his lips together. "Why am I the one who always falls under an Akuma's spell? That doesn't happen to Marinette."

"Because you're the one who always leaps in and takes the attacks. Besides, I've been affected by akumas before, remember? Pixalator digitized my arm and Jackaday cards rendered my yo-yo useless," his girlfriend reminded him.

Plagg cued up the Ladyblog and played a clip Alya had gotten during Pixalator's attack. In it, it showed Ladybug talking with the Akuma, her arm partially digitized.

Adrien had to admit to himself, Akumas attacks could harm Ladybug. She didn't fall under spells because she wasn't the one jumping in to take hits. He wrote a note in the journal to himself. Don't take an attack unless you know what it does.

They continued to write about different akuma attacks, or touch up previous ones. They also wrote down notes, they found helpful. Marinette noted future ladybugs should practice their vision by trying to find a solution to a difficult problem with an unusual items.

Adrien wrote about thinking before using Cataclysm. He also suggested looking for different ways to escape without resorting to using the power. "Logic is helpful in these situations."

There was a knock on Adrien's door. Adrien stuffed his journal into his desk and Marinette slipped hers into her book bag. "Come in!" the boy said, twisting his chair so he was facing towards his door.

Nathalie walked in, her usual calm expression. Her eyes skimmed around the room and did a quick eyeballing of the two teenagers. "I trust you two focused on your studies and didn't do anything else, correct?"

Marinette blushed and began sputtering she wouldn't do that kind of thing. Adrien let out an exasperated sigh. "Nathalie, we've never fooled around before and I doubt we'll do it ever. We prefer talking or holding hands, not making out."

Nathalie adjusted her glasses, then wrote something down on her clipboard. "Adrien, you know I have to ask these questions. Your father approved of you dating Ms. Dupain-Cheng. He also knows you're a growing teen and might have urges that are not appropriate for a model to have."

This time Adrien blushed and sputtered. "He should know by now I don't have those urges."

"He is only looking out for you best interests." Nathalie calmly stated, her expression remained calm. She didn't act as if she just embarrassed two teenagers. She inclined her head towards Marinette. "It is time for you to go Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Do you need an escort?"

"It's only a few blocks to my home. I'll be fine. I'll see you at school tomorrow Adrien." She waved good-bye and left the mansion heading for home. Her purse opened partially as Tikki stuck her tiny head out.

"Why does Nathalie always ask those embarrassing questions Tikki?" She looked down at her little kwami with a frustrated expression. "I have never shown that's what I want, so why can't she trust me?"

"I'm sure that Nathalie trusts you," Tikki assured Marinette. "Mr. Agreste is just overprotective. Remember, even Adrien doesn't know what happened to his mother. His father just wants to make sure he doesn't lose Adrien."

"I suppose so. Let's get back to the bakery and chow down on today's leftovers."

* * *

Inside the Agreste Mansion, Nathalie entered the atrium to speak with her boss. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng has left the building. Once again, she has demonstrated proper behavior and has made no advances towards doing anything sexual."

Adjusting her glasses again, she looked up from her clipboard and moved closer to her boss, who was finishing, his latest design. "Mr. Agreste, I feel strongly there is no need to repeatedly embarrass Adrien, in front of Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Never once, has she demonstrated any promiscuous behavior and Adrien is nothing, but a gentlemen. Is the questioning still needed?"

Mr. Agreste didn't look up from his design. "I trust my son and his girlfriend not to fool around, but at the same time, Adrien needs to remember I only allows this as long as he follows _my_ rules." He picked up an orange colored pencil and started to shade in the design he was working on.

"Do you have anything else to add Nathalie?"

"No sir. Do you have any task, I need to take care of?"

"Simply ensure that everything in the mansion is in tip top shape. Also, tell Adrien's bodyguard to take the limo in for a maintenance check. I would like to see how well it's holding up during the akuma attacks."

A frown ghosted over Nathalie's face before she nodded and strutted out the door. Once the sound of her heels could no long be heard, Nooroo freed himself from Gabriel's pocket.

"You wouldn't have to check the car over if you would stop sending akumas out."

"You know I can't. Not until I have the Miraculouses. Ensuring my son's safety during these attacks is top priority."

Nooroo frowned and drew closer to his wielder. "Then why did you send an akuma after Ms. Dupain-Cheng again? You released her and swore never to harm her again! You can't make that oath on a Miraculous and then attempt to break it."

Gabriel started to argue, "I never swore anything…" only for Nooroo interrupted him. "She swore to serve you forever, unless you released her, which you did entering into a pact. You said you do the right thing and be a hero for once. You accepted your responsibility for putting her in a near death situation, thus your Miraculous took your word as an oath, to protect Marinette from ever being harmed by an akuma directly."

The mauve butterfly kwami had gained some confidence as rose a bit higher in the air. "You swore a similar oath when you worked with the heroes to survive Volpena's hunt, if you recall. When you make an oath on a Miraculous it is like swearing on the River Styx. If you go back on your word, the consequences of such actions will not only backfire on you, but your _loved ones_ as well."

Gabriel's breath hitched a little upon hearing Nooroo's warning. "You're not making this up to stop future akumanzation are you?" he demanded. You could see his pulse going erratic in his neck.

Nooroo moved until he was facing Gabriel directly, and looked directly in his master's eyes, something he only did when he was being super serious. "The magic used to create the Miraculouses was extremely powerful and ancient. To control such ancient power, you must sacrifice something. That is why you should never make an oath unless you intend to keep it."

Gabriel clutched his fists tightly. He was willing to take any punishment to succeed in his goal, but Adrien was off limits. He grabbed his sketch book and flipped to a blank page. He needed to start keeping better notes for the future.

"Have I made any other oaths, which I'm not aware of?"

Nooroo shook his head, stating those were the only two he had made so far. The mauve butterfly reminded him of everything his wielder knew up to this point. "I will warn you if you're making another oath, but remember that is all I can do. Be careful what you do next Master, I do not wish harm to come to your or your family."

* * *

A few days later, Milina Brantiti was sitting inside a café in Freetown, Sierra Leone, eating a late breakfast. This city was the capital of the country, created in 1792 by 1100 former slaves from Nova Scotia. The most famous landmark in the city was the Cotton Tree, where the christening of the city happened.

This wasn't her first time in this city. During the Sierra Civil War, in 1999, UN Peacekeepers were dispatched to the country to help restore order and help with the disarmament process. It wasn't until 2001, that the UN was able to get to rebel holdouts and finally start dismantling their weapons. The Security Council thought it would be a great learning experience, so at the tender age of thirteen, she had traveled with a handler to watch the process.

Milina shuddered slightly. It was the rainy season right now, but with the high humidity, it wasn't that cold. In her mind, she could still see the hostile rebels being rounded up, them spitting at her. The scent of blood and gunfire haunted her dreams for a time.

She picked up her cassava cake and took a nibble of it. The bitter taste matched her mood. Setting the food back down, she took her cup of mango juice and sipped it. "This is better than Poyo to me. I'll never understand why people like alcohol so much."

Unless her mission required it, the secret UN agent didn't like to drink. Her job required her to be hyper focused and clear headed at all times. Alcohol would interfere too much with her mind.

"I hope I get a good signal," Milina whispered to herself. Internet access in the country was spotty. The major cities had access to it, but it would cut out at times due to the electrical problems. So, she was going to contact Master Fu, with a satellite phone.

Activating the phone, she heard the dial tone, followed by annoying high pitch feedback sound, which caused her to pull the phone away from her ears for a second. Bringing it back to her ear she heard someone picking up the other end.

"Hello."

"Hello Fu. It's nice to hear your voice."

"Ning? I don't think we have ever talked on the phone before. Aren't you afraid of this being traced?"

"Yes, this could be traced, but I took extra measures to avoid that. I modified my satellite phone so it's GPS is transmitting different coordinates and I'm not using local satellites. Also, I did some work to make the emissions very faint and shielded the phone from local tracking gear."

"Clever girl, but then again you have always been. Where are you now and what's going on?"

Milina/Ning explained that she was in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on a mission for the UN. The Sierra Leone government had been working with the UN to achieve the Government Agenda for Prosperity plan.

The last few years the joint endeavor had striven to accomplish certain goals. Improving education, equality, and health care were some of their goals. All twenty two UN agencies worked as one to help the country's government reach and to surpass their goals.

Due to the problems in the existing council and struggling need to reform the Security Council's role and powers, President Skoog had asked her to check on the progress of the agencies since the UN Security Council pulled out of Sierra Leone in 2005. He wanted to know how much the UN Peacekeeping forces had influenced the country since its departure, which again, was not a usual mission.

"Lately, it seems my duties are being expanded from their normal missions. The Security Council has been struggling these last few years. There is a desperate need for reform and new policies on how the Security Council should operate and what power they hold."

On the other end of the line, Fu stroked his goatee, while his eyebrows furled, as he tried to imagine how the complexity of the United Nations Security Council and how it interact on a global scale, affected his Apprentice. He had sensed she was very uncomfortable doing a mission like this, despite her ability to mask such discomforts.

"Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"I'm fine Master Fu. I just need to complete this mission and get out of this country alive. What can you tell me about the IMC? You said the riddle had something to do with color, but didn't we already use that when we used the prism?"

Fu chuckled. He looked behind him and saw Honorra and Wayzz, were having lunch. Today, they agreed to try the other's food. Honorra stared as the baby carrot, wondering how she was going to swallow it, while Wayzz pushed around his rice.

"Color has different wavelength. If you pass light through the different filters, the wavelength changes. It took the young heroes to figure out the rock color was not brown, but red.

I stands for ideology. I admit, I'm mystified by some of the ideologies in this circle, because these ideas hadn't even been thought possible when the Miraculouses were created. It's a mystery of how they came to be."

Back in Freetown, Milina had hunched over her table and transcribed what Fu was telling her, into Spanish. Most Sierra Leone people knew the local tribal language and spoke English as a second langue, even though it was the official language. They also had a low literacy rate

So even though, the probability of someone nicking her list and understanding it was small, she wasn't going to take any chances. Her pen quickly transcribed the ideologies down. There were a total of eight, which were: aristocracy, democracy, monarchy, and theocracy. The remaining four were: feminism, masculinity, activism, and passiveness

The Great Guardian had even been able to figure out the animals the Kwamiis looked like. There was a raccoon, donkey, lioness, and walrus. Also, a penguin, hippo, kangaroo and lastly, a groundhog.

"I'm not sure how any of these animals could be symbols for these ideas, except maybe for the donkey and lioness."

"I'm sure we'll have find out why in the future. The Miraculouses items were not visible. Let's us hope they are intact and the Kwami Charms are with them."

"Fu, will I ever have to learn how to make a Kwami Charm or create a brand new Miraculous?" she replied in Cantonese.

Fu was taken aback, pulling his phone away from him and staring at it. Why was she asking this question now, instead of waiting until she was in Paris? This quest for the lost Miraculouses must be getting more difficult than he thought.

Replying in Cantonese, he told her not even he knew how to do those things. The Miraculous Book would have the answers to those questions. Since they were the most vital information in the Book, the magician would have used several powerful protection spells to keep the information from falling into the wrong hands.

His apprentice let out a sigh of relief. Those questions had been in the back of her mind since the start of this quest. Knowing there was no added pressure to learn these skills so soon made her already stressed body calm down.

Sadly, their talk had to end. It was time to start going to the UN agencies to learn how effective they were in this country. Luckily, their offices were all close together in one area of the city.

* * *

The first agency she visited was the FAO, in charge of improving the agricultural needs of the country and to fight against hunger. So far, the progress they had made was a bit better than it was before. The soil of the country was easily eroded during the wet season and not high in nutrients for plants. The agency was working with the government to find a way to improve its quality.

Her visit to the local ITU office was eye opening. With the agencies help, the Sierra Leone government was standardizing the local communication and making it accessible to every area in the country, while also enabling them to contact other governments.

Her last visit was the most important. She visited the WHO offices, whose efforts to eradicate the Ebola Epidemic, ended the crises in 2016. The last year and half had been helping improve quality care in the rural areas and helping the clinics learn to collect valuable data in the right way.

In fact, they were heading out to the airport to take a short trip, by plane, to Kenema City in the Eastern Providence, so they could transport supplies to rural communities near the city.

When she felt her mark heat up, she asked if she could come with them. "I've never been to Kenema before. I would like to also observe your distribution system in action, to see if there is anything that needs improvement."

"We do have room on the small plane for one more member. I never turn down a pair of helpful hands. I hope you're strong, because these are some heavy packages."

"Trust me, I'm definitely stronger than I look." She demonstrated by picking up heavy box and holding it like it weighed nothing. Impressing the group leader, she helped load up the van and headed with them to the airport.

It took about an hour on the plane to arrive in the city. After securing a jeep, Milina and one of the agency members dropped off supplies to a rural town about fifteen miles out from the big city. By car it wasn't that great of a distance, but most of the citizens of the country couldn't afford fuel prices, so a majority of the people walked.

So a fifteen mile distance made it a rural area. While she was handing out supplies, the disguised agent looked in the distance past the edge of the town. She could just make out some structure on the edge of the horizon. Her mark heated up.

She asked the local doctor if there was something further out from the town. "Just an abandoned mine. It was completely emptied of diamonds and thousands died when the rebels forced them to mine the diamonds. We tend to stay away from there."

"An old diamond mine. Well, at least it's shut down and can't cause any more problems."

* * *

That night, Peace Keeper borrowed the WHO rented vehicle and drove to the abandon mine. Parking the car in some cover, she put on her spelunking gear. "I know I'm breaking the number one rule of spelunking by doing this by myself, but I have to do this."

She approached the mine carefully, already studying the air flow and determining if there were any dangerous gases coming from underground. "Okay, no invisible gases. According to my sensors, the air flow is not blocked, so I won't suffocate."

Someone emerged from the shadows of the opening to the mine. It was the doctor from the town. "I warned you against coming here. It is dangerous here. The blood of all those who were slaughtered line this mine."

Peace Keeper stood firm. "Why are you here? I have important business here. I can promise you I have no interests in any minerals that might be here."

The doctor nodded. "I know what your mission is young Apprentice. As the Keeper of the Ideology Miraculous Circle, I have done my job keeping them safe. When the rebels claimed the mines, I had already moved the Miraculouses from this area.

Tonight, I have put them back into the mine. Your test is very dangerous and bad. You have only two hours to search the whole mine for your treasure. If you don't bring them back before the time limit is over, you will never be allowed to have them."

The dangers of searching through an unknown mine without a map are incredible. I could get stuck in a cave in, lost, or injured. This is a very bad test she thought to herself.

"I understand the dangers, but I must attempt to retrieve them. It was an ideology taken to far that devastated this country. I will not let that happen again." Approaching the mine, she turned to the Keeper. "Are there any restrictions regarding my gear?"

"No, even if you fail, I have no wish to add more blood to this ground. Be careful," he informed her. She nodded then plunged into the dark mine, with only her helmet light to guide her.

Inside the mine, the scent of blood still clung to the tunnels, despite the years since the mine was abandon. The walls crumbled a tiny bit as she walked through the mine. Tiny underground animals fled from her footsteps.

I need to slow down my heart rate, take in less air, otherwise I might panic and use up all the air Peace Keeper thought in her head. Less oxygen wouldn't be good for her stressed out body, but it was the only way to survive this test.

Coming to a fork in the mine, Peace Keeper checked her watch. Ten minutes had passed and she needed to make a choice. Using her best judgement she took the path to the left and plunged deeper into the mine.

The Keeper waited at the entrance patiently. He stared at the entrance wondering if the woman would accomplish this dangerous test. Time dragged on and the longer it went, the less chance of having Peace Keeper emerging victoriously.

Twenty minutes before the time limit was up, Peace Keeper reemerged above ground. She was covered in dirt, blood, and her body was a mess. Her breathing sounded troubled, and her uniform stretched in some places. She held tightly to her prize, a cash box, and stumbled to the Keeper. "I have passed your test."

"Indeed you have." Moments after he said that, Peace Keeper collapsed into his arm. "You need medical attention. We need to get back to my clinic. Hang on young miss."

Lying down in the back of the vehicle, an exhausted Peace Keeper opened the cash box hearing the tiny clangs of Kwami Charms. Tilting the box, she saw the Miraculouses.

There was a small grey and black change purse resembling a raccoon face. A brown donkey tie clip, along with a small golden crown with a tawny lioness etched on it. She also spotted a group of prayer beads with little walruses painted on them. She laughed when she saw a yellow rubber bracelet with a penguin on it. There were purple armbands with hippos on them. A large red kangaroo toe ring and a cute orange gopher pocket watch.

There safe with me and that's what matters, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	6. Rest Stop

It was a nice day in Paris, and Marinette was babysitting Manon, who was filled with more energy then she usually was. She was bouncing off the walls and running up and down the apartment stairs. "Yeah, you can't catch me! You can't catch me yeah!"

"Manon stop running up and down the stairs! You are going to trip and crack your head open," Marinette told the little girl in a stern tone of voice. The bluenette reached out and grabbed the little girl's arm.

"No fair! I want to play, I want to play!" the child shouted as she stomped her feet. Manon freed her arm and got ready to throw tantrum.

"Manon, you know throwing a tantrum, isn't the way to get what you want. If you'll calm down, I'll show you how to make clothes for your dolls. Does that sound like fun to you?"

Manon smile grew even wider, as her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yeah! Please teach me how to make clothes for my dolls. Please!" She gave Marinette her best puppy dog eyes.

Marinette smiled and told Manon to go up to her bedroom. She would be there in a minute, she just needed to get something from her parents' room. Once the little girl was upstairs, Marinette let out a sigh.

She opened her little purse and looked at the _two_ Kwamiis inside. "Are you two okay? I was jostling you a bit trying to keep up with Manon."

"We're fine Marinette. Manon certainly has a lot of energy today," Tikki commented. She looked at Honorra, who was twisting her head about, as she looked around the home marveling at the color scheme.

Master Fu had gone away for the weekend, for a much needed break, from all things related to the Miraculous. He had gone to a hidden spa to relax and regain his energies. Also, he was going to get a few acupuncture treatments, to help with his back.

Marinette had agreed to watch Honorra for the weekend, while Adrien took care of Wayzz. He had sent her a text this morning, telling her he wasn't sure how he was going to keep Plagg and Wayzz from arguing with each other in "brotherly" spats.

Honorra, stopped twisting her head around and listened to the excited squeals from Manon upstairs. "I haven't been around little kids in a long time. I can't wait to watch you teach her the basics of sewing. I promise to stay out of sight."

Ushering them back into the purse, the teen climbed the stairs to her room. "Alright Manon, are you ready to learn to sew?"

"Yeah! I even found your pincushion and some fabric. I want make a purple dress." The little girl held up her prizes from where she sat on the floor.

After putting her purse, on her bed, she settled down next to Manon and helped her thread a needle. "Alright, the first skill to learning how to sew, is learning how to stitch. I'm going to show you how to do that today. Once you have mastered stitching, we'll move onto making doll clothes."

"No dresses? I thought you were going to help me make dresses," Manon whined.

The bluenette pattered her on the head and reminded Manon, is she wanted to learn how to do something first she needed to start at the beginning. The little girl grumbled a bit, but didn't make any further protests.

Marinette demonstrated how to make a running stitch. First, she had to come through the back of the fabric. Then make a stitch on the right or left of the fabric, before repeating step one.

Honorra peeked outside the purse, watching Marinette helped undo a few bad stitches, then worked with the little girl to make them perfect. The child stuck her tongue out as she worked and asked a zillion questions.

The teenager was more than happy to answer the questions and then show her different types of stitching such as a basting or cross stitch. "You're wielder is so kind. I admire how patient she's being with the little girl."

Tikki giggled softly. "You need to have a lot of patience when you're dealing with Manon. She's not a brat, but she can be a lot to handle all at once, if she has a lot of energy. She's a good training tool."

"Also, very cute." Honorra's wielders had always been adults. If they had kids, the kwami wasn't allowed near them, because of either cultural norms or her wielder, didn't spend a lot of time near them. This was the first time she had been really near a child. "Are all children like Manon? Energetic and cute who love to learn new skills?"

Tikki shook her head. "Each child is different, just as each person is unique in their own way. I have spent time with a few children in the open, but it was always when they were very small and wouldn't remember me, as they grew up."

I know we have to remain secret and keep interaction with other humans besides our wielders to a minimum. I just wish sometimes Kwamiis could be out in the open and make friends with other people Honorra thought. "Sometimes it is very lonely being a kwami."

The two female Kwamiis hugged one another and retreated deeper into the purse, to have their snack. Honorra nibbled on her rice, still listening to the conversation as Marinette calmed down a frustrated child.

A few hours later, Manon was showing her mom the perfect rows of stitches she had made "Look Mommy! Marinette taught me how to make stitches! Next time, she's going to help me with making doll clothes."

"That's very thoughtful of her. I bet you're a good student, right Marinette?" The teen nodded and replied that Manon was a very good student and she loved passing on her skills to someone else.

"Bye Manon, bye Ms. Chamack." The mother and daughter said their goodbyes and left the apartment. Humming to herself, Marinette went back upstairs to check on the Kwamiis. She noticed they weren't in her room, so she climbed up to the balcony.

Tikki was showing Honorra, Marinette's little flower garden. "Smell this. I love the sweet smell of flowers."

"I love the shiny lights above! I'm a magpie, we love shiny stuff," Honorra pointed out. She floated up and snaked through the lights a few times, showing off how agile she was.

"The lights are nice, but have you checked out the view from here?" Marinette asked. The little bird kwami nodded as she landed on the railing as she took in the scenery.

I love Paris, but I can't help, but miss the beauty of Korea. I don't even know what happened after my last wielder buried me. I'll properly never have the answers I seek.

"Thanks for sharing the view with me Marinette. I'm very glad to have met you."

* * *

It was very early the next morning and Adrien was already up and looking fantastic for his photo shoot. Today, he was modeling different pairs of shoes. The photographers wanted him to pretend he was running, relaxing, or a dozen other poses to show the versatile of the product.

Meanwhile, in his bag, Plagg was trying to nap, but Wayzz wasn't letting him. The green kwami was lecturing him about the proper way to make time pass. "You should take this time to be more productive Plagg. Figuring out the best way to help your chosen to grow as both a person and wielder."

Plagg cracked opened one eye, "This may come to you as surprise Wayzz, but not everyone follows the same style as you, when it comes to guiding their chosen ones. My style works fine for me."

"How is letting them run wild a helpful style?"

Plagg opened both eyes and shook his head. "My chosen tend to be people who have spent a lot of time under restrictions. They need to be able to experience freedom and after they make a few mistakes, they start listening to me."

Lifting his head up, he looked at his "brother." "You're the Great Guardian's kwami. You're all about protection and spirituality. That's why you're more serious and direct. You work well with Fu, because he is most like you."

"I apparently was also matched with both Adrien and Marinette, given to splintering incident Marinette had a few months ago," the turtle pointed out with a smile on his face. He tried to imagine what it would be like to be the kwami of those teenagers.

Plagg rolled his eyes, before replying it was under different circumstances, and from what they learned from Peridot Turtle was true, his counterpart had been partially responsible for the incident.

Wayzz fumed quietly as Plagg started to snuggle up again in his favorite spot in the bag for napping. He was almost asleep again when Wayzz poked him. "What do I have to do to get some sleep around here Wayzz?"

"You sleep to much as it is," Wayzz quantified to him. Plagg snorted and pointed out that Wayzz also slept a lot when Master Fu was busy with his clients.

Ignoring the retort, he asked what Plagg thought of Honorra. "I thought you two had become friends. Was I wrong?"

Wayzz twilled his paws while his antenna flopped around. "We're friends now. I just wanted your opinion on our "cousin" and if you think the other Kwamiis in her Circle will be like her."

Plagg thought about, then shrugged his shoulders. "Each of us has our own personality. Look at Trixx and Nooroo's personalities. She likes to play tricks and manipulate her chosen ones in several different ways. Nooroo is extremely kind hearted, but also cowardly at times."

That's true Wayzz thought to himself. His "sisters" and "brothers" were very different from one another. It was diversity between them that allowed partnerships to work. When you combined Trixx's survival instincts with Pollen's sense of community, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish.

"Perhaps the Order of the Guardians, did us a disfavor for keeping the Circles apart. It would have been helpful if we had been allowed to interact with each other more often."

Plagg didn't answer him. He had finally fallen to sleep dreaming about being a turophile, (a connoisseur of cheese), and being rewarded with a pile of gourmet cheeses that went up into the sky.

Wayzz, crawled up, (yes Kwamiis could walk if they chose to), to the top of the bag and peeked out. He saw Adrien was sitting down in the makeup chair as the makeup artist was touching up his looks.

Another person was changing the shoes Adrien was wearing, getting rid of a pair of red shoes, and replacing them with a pair of blue and yellow ones. "Remember not to scuff them. They have to look perfect and appear they don't wear and tear quickly."

Adrien nodded. "I haven't messed up an item while modeling it for years now. Any particular poses you want for the shoes?"

The man nodded and started giving instructions to the boy. Once the makeup artist was finished, the boy went back to work. "Standing around getting your picture taken is a lot more work than I thought," the turtle whispered to himself.

Wayzz, crawled back down in the bag. I should be using my time out here to search for Nooroo, but I can only sense him when he awakens or I am near him. Adrien being Chat Noir, messes my abilities to distinguish the different energies, because of all the akumas he fights.

Remembering Fu telling him to take a break, the little kwami took a page out of his "brother's" book, and started to nap at the bottom of the bag. Maybe by the time he woke up, they would be back at the mansion.

* * *

Master Fu returned from his weekend trip, refreshed and feeling better than he had in years. He was proud of how well Marinette and Adrien had handled their responsibilities for caring for another person's kwami for short periods of time. The new generation of Miraculous wielders performed their duties without a complaint.

The duo had brought the Kwamiis home after school, when they came for their weekly lesson on how to use their abilities. They were making slow progress on this front.

"I made some special tea for you both. It helps relax the body and the mind. It should help you drown out any thoughts that might distract you from drawing on your abilities," Master Fu explained kindly, as he gave them each a bitter tasting tea. The kids made faces showing how much they disliked the tea.

"I hope this works, I would love to use my ability, to get more free time," the blond boy muttered under his breath. He swallowed the remaining tea, trying to ignore the taste it left in his mouth.

He felt his mind calming down and slowly taking away his thoughts. All of his anxiety and worry slowly drifted away. The field of probability started to emerge before him.

Adrien focused his mind and felt around the edges of the probability field. Probability was just math, and since he got good grades in the subject, it wasn't too hard for him to imagine numbers floating all around him as they floated in blue and green grid.

The blond felt a tingling sensation followed up by a zap. All at once, he was surrounded by pictures of people and places all around him. The numbers passed through the images and came out in a different order and color.

In his mind, Adrien raised his hand and touched a picture of Master Fu's workspace. He saw a Kleenex box on the table. He tapped the image with his finger. A rush of hot energy flowed through his finger and into the image. The tissue box started shaking, the fell off the table onto the ground. "Did I cause that to happen?" he wondered.

The images around him changed and felt another presence connecting to the probability field. There was rush of warmth and his mind calmed down even more.

Marinette felt herself connecting the probability field. All around her she saw multiple possibilities open to her. It was as if she was a Lucky Charm and the field was trying to figure out where she was meant to be used.

Twisting around like a ballerina, so she could see all the different images, her mind focused intently on one image. She was looking at Alya's bedroom. Her best friend was having trouble with her computer. The video editing program wasn't working.

"Come on you stupid machine! Work!" Alya looked ready to smack her computer and her hair was frizzing out. A sign she was super frustrated.

"I wonder if I could help her." With slight hesitation, Marinette delicately laid her hand on the computer. She felt a prickling sensation and noticed that the computer was rippling in the image.

Alya looked up from her screen and smiled. "Yes, now you're working right. Glad, I got rid of that glitch."

Both teens' eyes opened at the same time. Blue and green eyes fell on Master Fu, who was trying to get Wayzz to drink some fruit juice. On the floor next to him, was a box of tissues.

"I see that my tea helped both of you feel relaxed and calm." Shifting his body, he looked at Adrien, who had his hands in his lap. "You managed to cause a slight misfortune Adrien. That is an accomplishment. Please describe what you felt and did."

Adrien rocked back and forth, trying to figure out how to describe what he saw and felt. "To me, I felt like I was inside a computer, using a math grid to solve problems. The numbers and images, were part of the equation. The tiny misfortune was the answer."

Marinette described her experience. It had felt to her as if she was connected to a thousand different websites with ads on them. When pressed on Alya's window, it was like she had opened a tab and erased the ad, replacing it with something.

Fu was very pleased to learn how the managed to connect with field of probability and not lose their mind trying to see it as it was. They would need to keep practicing connecting to the field, without using the tea. "It will be many years until you master your special abilities. What is important right now, is your ability to _connect_ with them under a variety of circumstance. I will see you two next week for your lessons."

* * *

The next day, Marinette was on her phone talking to Alya, even though she had seen her at school an hour ago. "I thought black jaguars or leopards were rare. Only five percent of the population turned out to be black."

On the phone Alya laughed. "I know, the odds of finding a female whose black were astronomically low, but they found one. They're hoping the pair will mate and have more baby leopards."

She sent a picture to Marinette who looked at it and ah at it. "She's a pretty female if you ask me. Have they been introduced to each other yet?"

"No, my dad says they need to spend time apart, getting to know each other, before they can think about putting them together in the same habitat. They'll be next door neighbors for now."

Marinette giggled into her phone. "Oh, so it's the girl next door romance. That's cute."

Alya laughed and agreed. "Hey, you're coming to the movie with us right? I know Kim's choice isn't the first thing you watch, but it will be fun to go with our friends' right?"

"I'll be there, I promise. I'm going to do my best to arrive on time. See you later." Marinette turned off her phone and shivered. Rubbing her arms together, Marinette turned to her design sketchbook.

The bluenette was trying to design a dress shirt for her dad, who was going to be going to a meeting at town hall for small business owners, and he wanted to look his best.

Marinette was not pleased with her first attempt, noting the collar was to low and the hem length wouldn't work. She tried again, but this time the sleeves she wanted were too long.

Tikki came over and sat on Marinette's lap, as the girl started designing her third dress shirt idea. The design was almost perfect, but then she tossed it away. "The buttons would draw to much attention on that design."

"Marinette what's wrong? You seem on edge and you're shivering, when it is not cold out."

Picking Tikki up from her lap, she cuddled the little kwami tightly. "I just have a really bad feeling. Hawkmoth has been silent too long. I think he's going to try something new, something we can't handle."

"Marinette, even if Hawkmoth creates an akuma who is difficult to handle, I'm sure Master Fu could help us. In fact, Master Fu told Plagg and I, yesterday while you were attempting to accesses your special ability, he's working on unlocking the potion recipes."

Marinette looked at her kwami, confused by what she was talking about. Tikki explained that there were potions, which could transform the Kwamiis to give special powers to their wielders, when certain situations came up, like if the wielders needed to dive underwater for a period of time.

"But, I thought turtles could already swim, well Peridot Turtle can."

"Remember Marinette, your desires shape your suit. You're other soul thought that the suit worked like land and see turtles, so it gave her the ability to swim."

The alarm went off on Marinette's phone, reminding her that she had twenty five minutes to get to the movie theater on time. Snatching up her purse, she hurried down into the basement, through the bakery, telling her parents she was off to the movies, and out the door.

When she arrived on time Alya declared it to be a miracle. The auburn head ducked avoiding a playful punch from Marinette. "Oh come on Marinette, you know you have trouble arriving on time."

Marinette folded her arms in annoyance. Max held out her ticket and she took it. "Thanks for getting the tickets. I can pay you back right now."

Max shook his head. "I agreed to buy the tickets for everyone." Pushing his glasses back up, he told the girls to head inside. "I have to wait for Kim. My best friend wanted to get in a quick swim before coming here."

"Don't let him drip all over you," Alya said as the two girls headed into the theater. Alya saw her best friend was tensing. The reporter hugged Marinette. "I know last time you were here, an akuma attacked. I am positive that won't happen today."

* * *

While Marinette was at the movies, Adrien was back at home practicing his Chinese again. He held his tablet in his hands and repeated what it said. Plagg chuckled from his spot in the laundry hamper when his wielder made mistakes. It was highly entertaining because Plagg knew what the missed pronounced words meant.

At least he can speak and understand Chinese. His girlfriend is half Chinese and can only speak a couple of words. I wonder if Tikki's tried to teach her some words.

The tiny cat kwami buried himself even deeper into the hamper. The clothes made the best nap time pillow. Luckily, Kwamiis didn't shed, otherwise Adrien would have banned him from the hamper long ago. He was just kneading the cloths into the perfect nap time space, when he smelled something he shouldn't have been able to smell. It was impossible for seawater to be in Paris.

"Um Plagg, I think you need to see this!" The tiny cat darted out of the hamper and pressed himself against his wielder's window. Seawater was flooding the city and getting higher and higher by the second.

"This is defiantly Hawkmoth's doing, but why is he submerging the city?"

"His newest akuma must be something that needs seawater to survive. It's also a way to weaken you. We need to get out of here now."

"Wait a second Plagg! What Nathalie and Father? We can't forget them or the Gorilla."

Plagg twisted his head backwards and narrowed his eyes. They seemed to flash several times. "We don't need to worry. Nooroo seems to have put a stipulation on this akuma. You can't see it, but I can. Residential and important places, like the hospitals and government buildings, have air bubbles forming around them. That will keep people safe. If we don't get out of here now, Ladybug will be partner less."

On the roof of Master Fu's building, he was frantically making sure he had everything related to the Miraculouses was safe and dry. When the water first started to appear, Fu had no choice, but to transform into Sea Green Turtle, to have the strength and speed, to get everything up here.

He had returned to normal and then began his inventory. "The Miraculous Box is safe Master Fu and the same goes for the Book," Honorra informed the Great Guardian.

Landing amidst the new boxes, she found the previously used journals still intact. She let out a note of relief knowing the chronicles still existed. "Everything okay with you Wayzz?"

Wayzz's antenna twitched back and forth as he phased through the stuff. "Emergency supplies, healing kit, and extra food. It's all here." He looked for his wielder and saw him working on a potion with a portable stove heating it up.

"Seaweed, pearls, now I need a tear of joy. I don't know what ingredient that would be a symbol for. Wayzz, I need you to taste test this, and see if it taste like the water transformation potion."

Honorra ignored what was going on with the boys. She had spotted something swimming in the water. Hopping on to the ledge, she peered down into the mini ocean, Paris had become.

Magpies didn't have special lens to cut back on the glare from the waters reflection. Instead, they had an amazing ability to spot tiny details around them. Taking a deep breath, she plunged her head into the water.

The entire city was underwater. People in their vehicles were suspended in bubbles, unable to move. Many of the plants were starting to die due to saltwater poisoning. Giant seahorses patrolled the watery street, making sure people stayed inside their protective air bubbles, instead of trying to free themselves.

Pulling her head out of the water, Honorra shook it hard. The water sprayed everywhere including on to a recently arrived super hero duo. "Oh, you're here! I have to tell you what I saw under the water."

Ladybug held out her hand. "If you spotted a red and pink mermaid calling herself Syrin, we already know about her."

Honorra pouted for a second, before responding. "No, I was going to tell you to watch out for giant sea horse patrols and to be careful to avoid rupturing the air bubbles."

Chat Noir asked the Great Guardian if there was a time limit on how long the air bubbles would last. He said he couldn't know for certain, but knew at one point they would give out, due to the strain it placed on Nooroo's powers.

"It is imperative both of you get to this Akuma at once. I still have not finished the potion. I'm missing an ingredient."

Wayzz, waved his arm indicating to Honorra they needed to leave. Kwamiis couldn't know the recipes to transform them to give their wielders special powers. It was too dangerous. They head to the roof across the street.

Wayzz noticed Honorra's fearful expression. "We don't need to worry. Master Fu is the Great Guardian. He'll figure out all the potions and sort this out."

Honorra halted in midair and looked at her "cousin." "What if he can't? You told me he never finished his apprenticeship. You had to be his teacher for a long time. He might not know how to complete the potions because you could teach him the recipes."

Wayzz acknowledged she was right. "I did finish his training, but Master Fu has gained his own knowledge on the Miraculouses and their powers, all on his own. He knows spells and potions, which I have forgotten. It will be alright."

The two Kwamiis looked back towards Master Fu's roof across the street. They had found the missing ingredient to the recipes, judging by the aqua transformations forms of Tikki and Plagg.

In seconds, the duo were in fish scales scuba suits, with flippers and devices on their waist to provide oxygen to other people trapped in the water. Their whole faces were covered up by their helmet and their weapons were sparkling, indicating they would somehow work underwater.

Stepping on to the ledge, they both jumped into the mini ocean, as they swam away. Honorra noted that Chat Noir was the stronger swimmer. Ladybug was the one who could perform underwater flips and twists.

Master Fu called the two Kwamiis back over. "Tikki and Plagg will need a supply of emergency potions to be able to transform on a moment's notice in the future."

"You want us to help you make more potions? Kwamiis are forbidden to know the recipes."

Fu held up a hand assuring them, he wasn't going to tell them the recipes. He needed them to fetch ingredients to make cookies and cheese with, explaining he was going to make mini versions of the food with the potions inside them. "The teens will be able to carry the potions on them, without drawing attention, as long as they're in the food dishes."

The little Kwamiis thought it was a great idea. Halfway through the cooking period, Miraculous Ladybug spread across the sea. The three of them were happy to see everything restored to normal and glad to hear no one died during the crises.

* * *

In the city of Sambava, in the northern part of Madagascar, Ms. Brantiti was reviewing a map of the nearby Marojejy National Park. It was one of the few protected areas for the rare cloud forests on the island. However, the illegal logging and slash and burn agricultural practices had caused the park to shrink.

The Security Council President had been switched again. The new one, Karen Priece, had asked her to go to Madagascar to update the government about the continuing efforts of the UN and the African Union, to bring peace and security to the Africa.

After her meeting, the mark on her palm had gone crazy. The pain was so intense, she had seriously considered going to a hospital for treatment. After the pain had subsided a bit, she had tried to figure out what set it off.

Using her photographic memory, Ms. Brantiti recalled she had been passing wild life photographs of rare lemurs on the island. One photograph in particular, a picture of a mother and baby of the extremely endangered silky sifaka lemur, one of the top twenty five primates on the verge of extinction.

Knowing that this species of lemur was confined to a small range of habitat, she had traveled to Sambava as fast as she could. Now, she was almost ready to head out to the park.

"The fourteen month study of the silky sifaka lemur showed the most populated area to be around here," she said to herself as she circled a small area in the cloud forest part of the map. "I hope they're still there. The political turmoil of 2009, affected the park greatly."

Reaching the cloud forest would take a few hours. The paths were very steep and slick due to the fog clouds in the area. Another problem would be avoiding being seen by people, especially when she reached one of the camps.

* * *

"I have to find the Keeper of the Seven Virtues Miraculous Circle." Two days ago, she was having a conversation with Master Fu, who told her about his attempts to create the transformation potions.

It was a fun lesson as she helped him figure out most of the ingredients. He had told her when she came to Paris, he would teach her how to make the potions. Then, he revealed he had figured out the next Circle.

"It took me several days to figure out what water meant. It wasn't until I place the Book under a glass of water that I could finally see the faint markings of what pages to go to."

"So what does SV mean?"

"Seven virtues. I believe you've heard of them."

Milina nodded, she had been taught about them when she was five years old. The virtues were proper behavior for being a good person. They helped people avoid the seven sins of evil.

The wording could be different at times, but for the most part the seven virtues were the following: chastity, temperance, and charity, along with diligence, mercy, and graciousness, and lastly, humility.

She had been told the animals the Kwamiis resembled were: a fossa, koala, and archerfish, along with a squirrel, hamster, and manatee, with the last one being a seahorse.

So after registering at the park entrance, Ms. Brantiti started her ascent of the mountain. She would need to reach the second rest stop, Camp Simpona, where she would rest for a night before continuing her ascent until she reached the cloud forest. That's when she would have to follow the compass mark, to find where the Keeper of the Seven Virtue, lived and pass their test.

"This climb could weaken me even more. My lungs still aren't working at full capacity and the air thins as I get higher," she whispered to herself as she placed her hand on her chest.

She could feel the lungs having a bit of trouble getting air into them. Her sore muscles were getting worse and her reflexes had diminished marginally. The need to finish her quest was taking significance to her health. She was trying to get as much rest as possible in between her duties and the quest.

Adjusting her pack, she started climbing up the trail, slow and steady. Every half hour, the disguised agent would, stop and drink some water, before continuing her hike.

I'm tempted to stay at the lowest base camp. If I do that, I'll get more rest, but it will take longer to get to the cloud forest. I could be summoned at any point to go on another mission. I have to keep going Ms. Brantiti thought to herself.

About an hour and a half from sunset, she finally made it to the second base camp. Her body hurt even more and her feet ached a lot. Walking towards the small bungalows for guests, she felt something warm and sticky in her socks.

Ms. Brantiti checked in at the base camp office to get her bungalow key. As soon as she was inside, the shoes and socks came off, revealing her bloody feet. "Ow! I hope this place has a first add kit."

Crawling into the bathroom, she checked for a first aid kit, but there was none. Crawling back to the bed, she pulled herself onto it, and started using the sheets, to clean up the blood.

"I'll clean the sheets before I leave tomorrow. Ow, I wish they had stocked this place with some local remedies. Maybe there's a plant that can sooth bloody feet," Milina mentioned to herself. She wished she knew one, but that hadn't been something she had studied.

The next day, her feet had stopped bleeding, but the gashes hadn't started scabbing yet. Pressing her hand to her body, she could still feel her heart and lungs, trying to work at full capacity.

I wonder if there are any walking sticks I could use to make climbing a bit easier for me, she thought as she placed gel soles into her shoes. I'll need plenty of water and I should put on a light jacket, to protect my body from the different poisonous plants, as well.

Once everything was packed correctly, Milina continued her climb. One of the locals had carved her a walking stick, which helped immensely when the trail started getting steeper. The cloud forest she was trying to reach, was at five thousand feet above sea level.

Milina knew she had reached the cloud forest, when the air around her started feeling wet. A cloud bank was covering the top of the trees and moved through the forest as well.

The pain in her left palm had gotten worse. Flipping her left hand over, she saw the compass was pointing her to the east. Double checking to make sure no one was around, she got off the main trail, and followed a lesser known path which had been created by scientist studying the unique flora and fauna.

Milina walked carefully on the path. With all the water hanging in the air, the path was eroding a bit each day. What was most vital was to avoid damaging any part of the wild.

She had been hiking on the path of the scientist for about an hour. The trek was getting harder and harder. She was sweating a lot and her feet begged her to rest. Spotting a log, she sat down only for her mark to heat up so much, blisters started to form on her hand. "AHH! Stop it please! Ahh! If there's a Keeper around here, please come out now!"

The trees shook and then she heard a guttural grunt coming from above. She pulled out some binoculars trying to spot something moving through the trees. Whatever it was, it would not hold still long enough for her to ID it.

Suddenly without warning, the vocalizations stopped. The trees stopped moving. The surreptitious UN agent slid into her defensive position ready to defend herself. Whatever was about to attack, she needed to defeat it without hurting the animal badly.

At that moment, several lemurs dropped from the trees and onto the ground. All of them were vocalizing loudly and took a step closer to her. There was something off about these lemurs. Several of them were huge compared to the lemurs of today and some had features she hadn't seen before.

"Oh my God, all of you are extinct lemur species! How is that even possible?"

A big megaladapis lemur, which looked somewhat like a koala, did a sideways walk towards her. The megaladapis was as tall as she was and its snout curled back once it smelled her.

"Are you the Keeper?" she asked prudently. The giant lemur shouted into her face making her take half a step back.

"Alright, you're the Keeper of the Seven Virtue Miraculous Circle. What is your test?"

Megaladapis and the other lemurs jumped around, gathering tree leaves, fruit, and seeds. Once they were all gathered in a large pile the extinct lemurs stepped back. The Keeper pointed to her, then the pile, and spread his arms wide to indicate all the other lemurs in the group.

This is another challenge test and it's a puzzle. I have to figure out which extinct species ate what. No living person knows exactly what they ate, so I have to study them and figure out the answer.

Moving to the food pile, Milina sorted the food into smaller groups for each individual food. Next, she studied the lemurs' different jaws and teeth as they vocalized around her.

She combined this knowledge with the carbon dating of the fossils for these extinct animals, and started distributing the food.

Megaladapis was given tree leaves, while the sloth lemurs were given leaves that came from lowland forests. The giant Aye-Aye was given large amounts of grubs. She presented Mesopropithecus, with fruit, while the pachylemur was given seeds to eat. The monkey lemur got fresh grass. She gave the Palaeopropithecus super tough foliage.

The lemurs all let out positive sounds before scurrying away until they faded out of existence. The Keeper side walked over and pulled down a tree branch. Nestled inside a hole were the Kwami Charms and Miraculouses. "Thank you."

The megaladapis nodded. He took a bit out of a leaf, and vanished in front of her. "The previous Guardian must have used some time of magic, to summon the extinct lemurs to protect the Miraculouses."

She examined the seven items. There was a beautiful belt the same color and shape of a fossa. A bangle set that had cute grayish blue koala on it. A pair of green hoop earrings with an archerfish in the middle. A detachable hood to a jacket, which had a red squirrel running around on it. A golden veil with hamster embroidered on it. Lastly, a manatee poison ring, (a ring with a secret compartment under the bezel), and a choker with a purple seahorse on it.

* * *

It was a long journey back down the mountain to the entrance of the park. By the time she reached the base, it was late afternoon. By now, she was in a whole lot of pain. She hoped Sambava had a medical clinic.

When she was back in Sambava, she found out that it was one of the few places in Madagascar that had a hospital. Going to the ER, Milina didn't have to wait long until a nurse saw her.

"How can I help you miss?"

"Ms. Brantiti. I was hiking in the national park. I was wearing the proper shoes, but I still got cut up," she explained as she raised her feet up so the nurse could see them properly.

She frowned seeing how cut up they were. "These are serious cuts. I'll be right back to help treat them and your blisters." The nurse hurried away and came back with soap, iodine, and cotton swap. She also had a needle, antibiotic ointment, and a thick bandage.

First, she cleaned the left hand thoroughly with soap and water. Next, she disinfected the area around the blisters with some iodine. Once she was done with that, she poked small holes at the edge of the blister, to drain the fluid. After putting the ointment on she covered the blisters up. "You'll need to keep the area clean and check it every day. Use the antibiotic cream until it's gone."

For Milina's feet, the cuts were washed four times to make sure they were clean and not infected. The nurse applied an antiseptic on all the wounds. Then she wrapped it tightly with some gauze. "Keep the gauze on your feet for four days to give the cuts a chance to scab over. After that, let them heal. Try not to walk so much."

"That's going to be hard, considering my job needs me to be on my feet most of the time. I'll do my best to not aggravate the condition. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Please pay up front."

After paying for the treatment, Milina had to figure out a way to walk without hurting herself further. Stopping in a shoe store, she purchased several mole skins to help protect the cuts, but also allowed her to walk.

Even with her injuries treated, Milina knew that her superiors would put the need for her to perform her duties before her health. "I wish Dr. Calzone was here. He would help me feel better. I hope one of those potions Master Fu knows can heal me as well as it does for the Kwamiis."

Through the bandages on her left hand, the letters for the next Circle could be seen, RMC. Hopefully, this test wouldn't injure her further.


	7. Final Task

It was a quiet day in Master Fu's shop. There were no clients to see today. Instead he was working on deciphering more information about the other Miraculous Circles, the Keepers, and trying to figure out what could have caused so many Great Guardians to disappear from history.

He was looking over those two hidden pages, trying to figure out the last two riddles. They had used bioluminescence along with reflections, colors, and water. There was one left that had to deal with shadows, and a hidden riddle he had just discovered this morning.

The riddle stated that only the mystic arts could spark the pages to reveal the information on the other Circle. Fu was stumped about that and decided to give a little more thought to that later. As of now, he was trying to figure out how shadows would help, when all the other riddles had dealt with light.

He held his hand over the page blocking the light. Maybe if he covered the words they would glow in the dark. Only it didn't work. Fu heard the soft taps on the keyboard as Honorra searched the Internet for answers in the residential area of the apartment.

Wayzz, was in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess from breakfast. The little kwami happened to be a great housekeeper. He placed the rag he'd been using to clean the table in the hamper. Next, he turned on the sink and let it fill with some water before, turning it off. He would leave the dishes to soak for a few minutes.

He picked up a duster pad and started wiping away the dust around the lights and in the corners. He then went back to the dishes and dove in the water to clean them. Once they were clean, he drained the sink, and left them to air dry.

Finished with the morning chores, he checked on Honorra's progress. "Anything come up on your search?" he asked as he placed his stubby paw on her shoulder.

The magpie kwami shook her head. "I've run multiple searches on the subject of shadows, light, and anything related to myths about them. I still have not found anything scientific about what shadows have to with light. I feel like I know the answer, but it's stuck in the back of my head."

"Do you recall your experiences before being stuck in limbo?"

"Yes, I do. My chosen ones gained much honor through their deeds and preserved it for many others. Of course, my female chosen ones had to strive harder to gain honor in societies, who only saw the value of a woman, as a wife and mother."

Honorra got a faraway look in her eyes. Her last wielder, a young woman, use to send coded messages to her friends, for gossip or important information. Since their letters would be confiscated to check for treason, before given to the ladies, the girls had created a cypher. A cypher which could be decoded with…

Honorra shot out of the room into the front, colliding in the back of Fu's head and fell to the ground. The Great Guardian rubbed his head as Wayzz phased into the room, demanding to know what she was thinking.

"Cutouts and decipher. We need to use them to solve the riddle!"

Both Great Guardian and turtle looked very flummoxed by what the little bird had said. "My female chosen, when they wanted to talk privately to other people, they would send coded messages. Once they had them, they would lay something over the messages. The item they placed on it would have slots hidden on it."

Master Fu's eyes widened as he figured out what Honorra was trying to tell him. "The slots would go over the words in the real message, while the rest would be covered by the paper in shadow."

"There's a code in the code? How can we figure out what words to block to get the right message?" Wayzz asked worriedly. The Miraculous Book endless codes and secrets never seem to end.

"The cipher you use to decode the Book, would be a good place to start. I'm willing to bet my feathers, the other cipher is based on the one you know, only in a different format."

Master Fu agreed it would be the logical choice. "There are thousands of different cypher possibilities and with the key to it, it will take days before we figure it out. Hawkmoth last Akuma was the strongest yet."

The three residents of the apartment all were worried about Hawkmoth gaining further advantages over them. He had already shown he was capable of using his special ability to connect with robots and animals. Not to mention he only stopped his akuma experiments when Nooroo granted Ning half of his power.

Honorra suddenly zoomed through the wall again. Two minutes later, she pushed open the door back into the client area, dragging the tablet with her. Seeing her struggling, Wayzz helped his "cousin" bring the device to the table.

"Computers can do many tasks a lot faster than we could on our own. Whoever Hawkmoth is, he's probably using a computer to help him translate his fake copy of the Miraculous Book."

Sliding the tablet next to the Book, Honorra turned it on and opened a program about languages and how to translate them. "If we type in the code and then let the program run the searches. The right cipher will show up much quicker than searching for the answer ourselves."

Both Master Fu and Wayzz were skeptical on trusting the device to solve the problem. Both would rather try it the old fashion way. They both looked at Honorra's pleading face. She was asking them to trust her.

Fu reached for the tablet as the magpie clapped her paws. She sat on his right shoulder and coached him on how to use the program. The three of them all held their breath, waiting to see if this would work.

It took a while, but half an hour later the program finished. Looking at the list of possibilities, they one of top was the most likely the cipher they needed. Master Fu cut out slots on a piece of cardboard and laid it over the two pages.

Certain words now stood out and Wayzz quickly stringed them into a sentence, to which pages the information was on and what to cover up next, to learn the truth about the Circle Ning was currently looking for.

"Alright according to this code RMC stands for Religious Miraculous Circle." Wayzz frowned about this. Religion was not consider abstract because it fit all the requirements to be a known concept, such as it could be performed and observed through all the senses. Also, magic and religion were viewed as different ideas that didn't go together.

"What if it means by religion, concepts associated with religion, which are abstract? Like the Elemental Creatures Miraculous Circle?" Honorra suggest.

"I believe you are right Honorra. This list of Miraculouses is about abstract ideas attached to any religion." The list read: heaven, hell, and limbo. Followed by, prayer, faith, and soul. Ending with glory, divinity, and miracle.

The Kwamiis of this circle resembled: a dove, scorpion, and warthog. There was also a praying mantis, manta ray, and a Tasmanian tiger. Next came a Tasmanian devil, eel, and lastly, a giraffe. What the actual Miraculous were and looked like remained a mystery.

* * *

The Great Guardian's apprentice, Ning Sun, currently under her Milina Brantiti identity, was in one of the most stable countries in the Middle East. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, known as simply Jordan to the rest of the world. The country was located in a strategic location, making it the center of the crossroads for trading between Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Jordan was very involved in UN peacekeeping missions. There are about 50,000 Jordanian troops working with the United Nations across the world. Jordan ranks third internationally in participation in U.N. peacekeeping missions. Jordan has dispatched several field hospitals to conflict zones and areas affected by natural disasters across the region

Another aspect of Jordan that made it slightly different than other Arab countries, was it allowed woman to dress in Western clothing as long as it was still conservative. That meant covering up your wrists, ankles, and halfway up your neck. Generally woman wore traditional headscarves in mosques or when traveling outside major cities. It was fashionable to wear tight clothing, as long as you didn't display any cleavage.

Since women from other countries weren't held to the same standards as natives, this meant the disguised agent didn't have to use a male alias to get around. Foreign officials, such as Milina, were given some respect, even if they weren't seen as important as their male counterparts.

In Amman, the capital of the country, woman could be seen doing jobs outside the home. While the work force for women was very minor, it was still significantly larger than other Arab nations.

Ms. Brantiti had finished her meeting earlier with the Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, who reported to King Abdullah II, about the ongoing relationships with the UN. Jordan was a committed member to helping bring peace to the whole region. They also discusses the ongoing issue of Syrian refugees impact on the country's few resources.

The time difference between Paris and Amman was only an hour. While a majority of the city were at Jumu'ah prayer, a special prayer performed on Fridays instead of the Zuhr that started a little after noon. Milina was having a video chat with Fu.

"It would make sense a Guardian would come to the Holy Land of three of the most wide spread religions. The power of belief is so strong, it would easily mask any residual magical energy," Milina commented, after Master Fu told her what they trio had learned.

"A blessing for the Kwamiis, but not ideal for someone searching for them, including you my Apprentice. The Miraculouses could be hidden anywhere in the holy places," Master Fu explained to her.

He was looking in the corner of his computer screen. In the small window was a list of famous places all over the city and the surrounding area. There were also pictures of local mosques. "You must find a way to narrow the search. Perhaps the way we figured out the riddle, is the key to finding the place the Miraculouses might be."

Milina played with her Kwami Charm necklace, rubbing Wayzz charm between her fingers. The mark on her hand heated up a little, so she knew she was in the right city to find this circle.

Amman had a long history of being the epicenter of important historical events. Earthquakes, wars, revolutions, the city was a living historical artifact. The majority of the Sunni lived peacefully next to the minority Christians, which is why both religions had plenty of holy places to worship.

"The more I think about it, I believe the Great Guardian of the Religious Miraculous Circle, would be more inclined to give the Miraculouses to a specific mosque. They're much more prominent in the city than churches."

Wayzz agreed with her and said they should be searching for older mosques to check, but Honorra disagreed. "Amman hasn't always been the capital correct?"

Milina dipped her head indicating she was correct.

"The country has a king right?"

Milina stated that was true. "When you were Sierra Leone, the Keeper had moved the Miraculouses from the mine to his home during the war. If there was a revolution that lead to a caliph becoming a king, then I would want to have a Keeper who has strong ties both to the political and Islamic governments."

Milina snapped her fingers. "The King Abdulla I Mosque. It's not very old, construction started in 1982 and was finished by 1989. It has a huge blue mosaic dome on top with a large worshiping area for up to three thousand followers can come for prayers.

More importantly, it's open to tourists. Men must have long trousers on and women must cover their heads, arms and legs. A hooded gown is provided free of charge for this purpose. If a Guardian or Apprentice came searching for the Miraculous Circle, they could easily blend in without causing a panic."

As soon as she finished talking, her hand heated up even more and her mark flashed. "It seems the mark is confirming your hunch. Ning, please be as respectful as you can."

"I'll call you later."

* * *

Milina took a taxi to the King Abdulla I Mosque, and joined the tourists and the local Islamic community, into the treasured mosque. In the coat room, tourists were putting on their new cloths and leaving their shoes behind as was the custom.

Upon entering the building, the personality of "Milina Brantiti" switched out with Peace Keeper taking charge. Peace Keeper instantly started mapping the main worship area, noting all escape routes, if a fight broke out.

Peace Keeper walked around the room completely, identifying locals and tourists before checking her watch hidden under her layers. Afternoon prayers would start in about an hour and the UN agent would have to leave.

Peace Keeper studied a group of local men who had gathered together near the minbar, where a Khateeb would have lead the _Jumu'ah_ prayer. Islam didn't have priests or ministers who conveyed Allah's message. A Khateeb was a learned and educated man, chosen from the people gathered, to lead them in prayer and give two sermons.

She approached the group slowly. The men took notice of her and most of them figured her to be a tourist who wanted to ask questions. However one man, who was wearing a Bedouin style kuffyeh, seem to be studying her.

"Excuse me gentleman, I hope I am not showing disrespect by approaching you. I would understand if you do not approve of a woman entering the men's area of the prayer room. I am humbled to be in front of Allah's devoted servants. I have some questions about the mosque and I would be very grateful if you could answer them."

The men talked amongst themselves before replying,"We will do our best. What questions do you have?"

Peace Keeper asked questions about the architectural design. They answered her about what the minarets, mihrab, and the dome represented and their purposes. She asked them to confirm if she was right about the absolution process.

The last question she asked was why the mosque was open to non-Muslims, which the answer was to form stronger ties with people who were not part of their community.

Satisfied, she thanked them and said the traditional goodbye in perfect Arabic, before heading back to the cloakroom to change. "I know I met the Keeper somewhere in the prayer room. I can only hope he or she, will approach me."

Leaving the mosque, she stopped when she heard someone call for her. Turning around, she saw the Khateep, the man in traditional clothing, approaching her. She waited for the man to catch up to her.

"I welcome you to Jordan. You certainly understand our culture and are most respectful of our ways. Most importantly, you spoke truthfully in front of Allah, and humbled yourself. You have shown me that you are very trustworthy. There is no doubt in my mind you are a Great Guardian or Apprentice."

The Khateep gave her a small bag. "Your reward is inside. Take care."

"I will and thank you." She followed her usual routine of returning to her hotel room and securing the room, before she opened the bag and took out the Miraculouses one at a time. Each one was very unique. Each stood out, even if the Miraculous jewelry was a repeat.

There was a white halo with dove wings on it. A black and red chain with a scorpion tail to hook it together. There was also a purple and green friendship bracelet with the face of a warthog on it.

Next, there was a beaded necklace with tiny praying mantises painted on each bead. A two toned blue manta ray armlet and along with a light gray sash belt with a Tasmania tiger on it. A pair of yellow goggles with a Tasmanian devil etched around the lenses. The last two were a glow in the dark electric eel anklet and yellow brown leg bands with giraffes on them.

Her left palm glowed and the letters changed again. This time it read CRMC. "I hope Fu can figure out that mystery riddle quickly."

* * *

A few days passed and it was Monday afternoon once again. The small group of heroes were all gathered together, even Ning, who was video conferencing for today's lessons.

"Today's lesson is very important. Ning, you will have to learn to do the task I'm describing today, on your own eventually. Adrien and Marinette, it is vital for your own protection and sanity to understand the seriousness of what's today's lesson is about."

The two students nodded and the Kwamiis nodded in agreement. Standing up, Master Fu trundled over to right corner of the room. He pulled out a small stand and took out the drawer. Turning the drawer over, he tapped out a sequence on the center.

There was a small pop, and a small tray was released to him. Cradling the object, he put everything back in place, before sitting back down by the table. Wayzz handed Fu a rag and Honorra sprayed dust remover on the item.

After a quick cleaning job, he held out the item so everyone could see it properly. It was a silver tray, the kind used to hold together a sand art picture. While there was colorful sand attached to the tray, there were also a few thin gray stones adheared to the tray as well. The Kwamiis looked at the item in awe. Marinette squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a headache coming on. Adrien just stared at the item wondering what it was.

Even through the computer, Ning could sense the power of those stones. "Those are memory stones. I remember reading about them in a book. Their purpose is to hold memories and let others witness them at a later date. They are extremely rare."

Fu turned to computer screen and smiled. "You are correct in what these stones are used for Apprentice." His lips thinned and expression became severe and cold. "These stones are very powerful magical objects. Whenever a Miraculous wielder uses these stones, they must remain focused, or risk personal injury."

The model took another look at the memory stones as the Great Guardian placed the tray on the table. He studied the item curiously. He felt a soft hum coming from the rocks. It was the only clue these rocks had special powers. "What purpose does the sand have?"

"Sand can be used as a barrier to stop the spread of magic from objects," Honorra replied.

Marinette leaned forward, her ring finger on her right hand, stretched out to touch the item, but then stopped herself. "Why do you put memories in the stones?"

Fu, placed his own hand on the tray, as he traced the stones. The humming had gotten a little louder. "I have lived a very long life. The history of the Kwamiis and their chosen can be read in the chronicles." He looked down at the table sadly before holding his head up and gave each person a hard look.

"The Great Guardians have important memories as well, some which can't be explained through written text. By putting a memory in the stones and forming a path, a person can see firsthand how events unfolded. This is not something to toy with. Creating a memory board is dangerous if you don't know what you are doing." Everyone flinched at his tone of voice.

So, another tool used, to ensure the Miraculouses, stay safe. By passing this board from Great Guardian to Apprentice, vital information can be preserved for future generations Ning concluded. If the memory board is dangerous then that would explain why he's so adamant about the dangers involved with this tool.

Master Fu explained how a Guardian had to hold on to the stone for several minutes so the memory would be transferred inside. If you held on for too long, you could lose the memory in its entirety. If you didn't hold it long enough, a loop about that memory would be stuck in your mind for days.

Adrien and Marinette took notes on the subject. Wielders could use the board as well, but needed a Guardian with them, to prevent damage to their mind, should the emotions attached to the memory mixed with the wielders.

Ning asked questions about what happened inside a memory. Could they be seen at all? Did they need to be in costume to use the memory stones? Was it possible to get hurt physically?

"You can't be seen by a person in a memory because it is an event in the past. A Miraculous is the only known protection to safely view the memories. It is rare, but you can get physically hurt in a memory, depending on what's happening."

Then I'll have to make sure that never happens if I have to use the board Ning thought.

* * *

A few days passed before an announcement on TV caught the attention of many of the teenagers in Paris. Clara Nightingale, one of the top singers and a great admirer of Chat Noir and Ladybug, was filming her latest music video in Paris! She was inviting everyone to try out to be Ladybug and to be extras.

Because Gabriel Agreste was the costume designer, Adrien had been selected to be Chat Noir, a fact that greatly frightened him. He was in the trailer right now getting dressed in a remarkably accurate costume. "This is bad Plagg, I can't go out there wearing this. My secret identity will be revealed if I do," Adrien whined as he looked at the mask. "Why did father have to be such a good designer for superhero costumes?"

Plagg shrugged his shoulders. Normally, this wasn't something he would bother with, but his kitten would be in serious trouble, if they didn't figure out something quick.

"Ten minutes until we need you on stage, better finish getting dressed!" a stage hand called in the trailer.

"I'm doomed Plagg, doomed," the blond moaned as he slid down against the door, his head drooping in defeat. The door to the trailer opened and Adrien fell back into his girlfriend's waiting arms. "Marinette, what are you doing here?"

"Came to audition as an extra. When I heard you had been cast as your alter ego, I contacted Ning via Tikki and her charm. She had a lot of good advice on how to help you. Who knew her experiences of disguising herself would help us one day?"

It was then, he noticed his girlfriend had brought her sewing kit and make up bag. Tikki popped out from under Marinette's jacket, her big eyes sparkling. "I got a crash course on how to be a makeup artist. I'll need you to help me Plagg; to finish completing Adrien's new look."

"As long as I get some cheese out of it, I'm good to go." The trio started to do the alterations at lightning speed. First, thing Marinette did was remove the belt tail and attach a longer fabric tail. The top part of the tail, was a wraparound fabric belt, with a longer tail that ended in sharp point. There was also a silver cat decoration on the fabric belt.

Next, she removed the bell and replaced it a huge one and alter the collar so it looked like the top of a vampire cape. Then, she took off his small cat ears and interchanged them with huge ones before she gave him a more angular mask that covered the top part of his nose.

Adrien swapped out his combat boots for tall ones that looked like Sailor Moon's minus the heel. Marinette handed him a new ring with a cat head on it, as he took off his fake Miraculous.

While this was going on, Plagg was brushing out Adrien's hair, making it appear wilder and longer to make him appear slightly older. Tikki, had been using make up putty, to make the model's face sharper and adjust the shape of his head. With a few touches of makeup to enhance his new face they were finished.

Adrien looked in the mirror and was amazed by the rush job. He looked slightly older, maybe eighteen. His appearance was of a person with a sophisticated background and a coquette. The alterations also gave him a slight anime look. "I love it! No one is going to recognize me as Chat Noir in this outfit, but what will my father and Clara think?"

"Just tell them, you wanted a unique look for the video." The stage hand yelled that it was time for Adrien to come on out. Taking a deep breath the model walked outside, covering Marinette as she slipped out behind him and into the extra line.

When the crowd saw the altered costume, there were a lot of whispers. Some didn't like the new look because it was so different. Other's said it added to Chat Noir's flirty personality. There was only one person's opinion that truly mattered.

Adrien stood in front of Clara, who was holding a table with Gabriel on it. The designer glared at his son, ready to demand who had changed his design when the singer exclaimed how much she love it. "This perfect Gabriel! The design is classy and adds to Chat Noir's allure. It also helps personalize the hero's inner personality."

"I'm glad you like it. I'll have to tell my assistant how thankful you are." He gave his son a grim look. He expected the whole story after the video was finished.

Several people tried out for Ladybug, even a few guys, but no one was the right fit. Some couldn't sing, others were failures at dancing. The numbers dwindled until only Chloe was left.

Thanks to all her cosplaying and five years of dance class, Chloe performed spectacularly. "Miraculous, simply the best. When things go wrong, Miraculous!" The blond sang delightfully.

Clara looked at the girl. She was a good dancer and singer, and with her wig, she almost looked like the real ladybug. She fit all the requirements for the role. The singer felt though Chloe didn't have the right spark. Following the teenagers eyes, it seemed the teen was more interested in getting closer to Adrien, then actually performing in the video.

"If there is no one else who wants to try out, then the role of Ladybug goes to…"

"Wait! I would like to try out please," Marinette spoke timidly. Clara came over to her. "What's your name?"

"Marinette. Marinette Dupain Cheng. I was the one who did the last minute touch ups on my boyfriend's costume. I made one for myself for fun. I wanted to be an extra with my friends."

Clara's eyes sparkled with delight. On the tablet screen, Gabriele mouth thinned, but didn't contradict her statement. With encouragement from her friends, Clara told her to change and she would give her a chance to try out. Regardless if she got the part, Clara promised Marinette she and her friends would be extras in the video.

* * *

In the trailer, Tikki was not pleased. "You shouldn't risk your identity like this. Adrien had no choice, but you did. I thought you wanted to be an extra."

"I did Tikki, until I found out Chloe was going to play Ladybug. I admit she's good at singing and dancing," the girl remarked as she adjusted her hair. "Adrien's faithful, but Chloe won't give up. I doubt the video will ever be finished because Chloe will be too occupied by trying to get close to Adrien."

Tikki took a deep breath and told Marinette she hope she knew what she was doing. When Marinette stepped out of the trailer, she looked different then her normal Ladybug self.

The first difference was her hair. Long pigtail extensions had been added and she had given herself bangs. One strand of her hair curled upright on her scalp. Another difference was she wore extra-long red ribbons in her hair. A small amount of makeup putty had slightly altered her jawline.

The costume only had spots on the top part and on the shoulders. The rest was plain red. The yo-yo was attached at the waist by a beaded gold chain. Her mask was identical in design, to Adrien's. The biggest change was she now wore medium size spotted earrings.

Marinette joined Adrien on stage and waved at her friends. Off stage Chloe scoffed at the idea of Marinette, being cast in the role meant for her. She didn't know that Marinette had more than one advantage on her side.

The music started and Marinette started to sing and dance. With six other souls to draw experience from, the disguised Ladybug had a rather unique style. She slinked across the stage Huli Jing style, while singing with Bleu Belle's amazing voice. Thanks to Abeille Jaune, her poise and rhythm were perfect.

Mariposa's gracefulness made sure Marinette didn't trip over her feet. Chat Noire's never ending energy kept her going without tiring out. Peridot Turtle's determination ensured the bluenette didn't forget any steps.

When she finished her audition, people clapped and cheered. Marinette blushed hard as her boyfriend kept her from fainting. Clara congratulated her and gave her the role of Ladybug.

No one noticed Chloe storm out with her father. Everyone was just excited as the extras were cast and prepped for the video. Half an hour later, everyone was ready to start filming. The cameras were up and the music was cued. Clara was ready to begin performing.

That's when Chloe and her father returned shutting down the whole production. He had a stack of papers saying Clara's crew didn't have a permit to perform and the set up was in a hazard zone.

Poor Clara ran into the trailer to cry. Marinette dug her nails into her hands. This was all her fault. If she just let Chloe have the part, this wouldn't have happened. Dejected, Marinette left the stage to sulk somewhere.

Adrien hesitated, not sure if he should go after Marinette. After a minute he chose to speak to his childhood friend. "Chloe, why did you do this?"

"I didn't do anything. Daddy was the one who found out Clara Nightingale and her production team, were illegally shooting a music video."

"You know that's not true Chloe. You can't throw a fit and retaliate against people because you don't get your way!" The blond threw his hands up in the air. "I'm sorry you didn't get the part. Your response is childish and immature, and hurt everyone here today."

Chloe rolled her eyes and said Clara could shoot her video somewhere else. The male blond pointed out the song was specifically written about the two heroes and the city of Paris. Shooting the video elsewhere would interfere with the theme.

* * *

A loud laugh filled the building. Looking up, there was an Akuma standing on a crossbeam. She had rainbow hair styled like Harley Quinn. Her skin was a light blue. She was wearing a blue body suit with colorful shapes and sequins on it. In her hand was a staff with a microphone on top.

"Hello, everyone assembled here. Lend me your ears. I'm Frightengale your host. I'm here to bring about my dream, so listen to me, if you don't want to end up as toast. Sing, dance, or rhyme. If you don't you'll be frozen in no time. "

Swinging her staff, a bright pink whip appeared and touched Chloe and her father. They felt a strange tingling sensation going through their bodies. Frightningale laughed at them. "Do as I say and you might survive today."

Chloe started yelling at the akumatized singer about bossing her around. She didn't notice herself changing into a pink statue. Mayor Bourgeois stared in horror before he was also turned into a statue.

The people fled the production area as fast as they could. Many got hit by the pink whip and turned into statues. A few people managed to either sing, dance, or rhyme. It only kept them from being turned statues, for a few minutes. As soon as they stopped they turned into statues.

Adrien, ducked behind the trailer where his girlfriend was waiting for him, already transformed. Ladybug peeked out from behind the trailer as Frightengale danced outside, singing and rhyming, about how she was going to get the Miraculouses.

"Time to get our dance on. Plagg, Claws Out!" Within seconds Chat Noir was ready. "What's the plan My Lady?"

"We need to surprise her and get her staff. I'm sure that's where the akuma is hiding. We'll need to watch out for her whip. If we're zapped then we might never get her akuma."

Frightengale was ready for them when they emerged from the set. She danced out of the way of the yo-yo. When she tripped over the baton, she turned into a somersault and got right back up again.

She lashed out with the staff, the pink whip part missed the heroes by half an inch. "Don't run away. I really want you to stay. All my dreams have come true. Thanks to Hawkmoth, I'll take the Miraculouses from you!"

Frightengale lashed out again and again, forcing the duo apart. Ladybug was forced to go up on a rooftop. Chat Noir used his reflexes to get in close to punch the Akuma. Only to have Frightengale jump up on the roof.

"What do I see up here on this roof? A little bug that's going to go poof!" Ladybug tried to swing away only to crash into her partner who had come to her rescue. The whip touched them both.

The heroes froze as the pink light up around them. Frightengale did a little jig. "Sing, dance, or rhyme. If you don't you'll be frozen in no time. Hope you have some talent heroes. Otherwise you'll be zeros."

Chat Noir hissed angrily and took a step towards Frightengale, only for Ladybug to grab his wrist and said, "Wait, stay here and dance. If not you'll be frozen without a chance."

The cat boy instantly knew what his lady was talking about. The only way to avoid being frozen was to do as the akuma asked. "That is right. Though rhyming is hard to do during a fight." He started dancing in place and swiveled his hips.

Ladybug joined him, making sure to dance differently than before. Frightengale had a smirk on her face. Hawkmoth symbol flashed over her face. He was obviously directing her to attack them while the heroes were trying to sing, dance, and rhyme.

"Don't worry Hawkmoth I got your back. Because now I'm on the attack!" Twirling in the air, she attacked Chat Noir planning to trip him with her microphone staff.

Only it was blocked by Ladybug's yo-yo. Ladybug retracted her weapon back before doing a hop, skip, and a jump. "Stay in charge Chat Noir. Don't blow a fuse and use your dance fighting moves."

The black cat grinned before doing a spin. "Frightengale, I hope you like my dancing moves. It's the only way to groove." He started doing the cha cha slide towards the Akuma, who had sour look on her face.

The akuma threw a punch at his face and he carefully dodged it. Frightengale kicked at his chest only for him to bend backwards. Her other foot came at his manly parts and he blocked it with his baton before sliding backwards to his partner.

"Fighting and dancing are not my style. I hope you have a plan for us in the meanwhile."

Before Ladybug could reply, Frightengale was back on the attack twirling her microphone staff forcing them to jump back even further on the roof. The heroes were running out of space. The performer bent down and flicked out her weapon again, catching Chat Noir's foot and forcing him down hard on the roof. "Why is Chat Noir so dumb? Does he even know fifty plus fifty is a sum?"

Ladybug interjected before her partner could start arguing. "Fifty one and fifty one equal a hundred and two. We're going to stop you." She tossed her yo-yo at the villain a few times only have it deflected.

Chat Noir slammed his baton into Frightengale's as they both tried to shove the other off the roof. "My Lady, I need your help. Otherwise I'm going to go yelp." He pushed back the Akuma and spared a glance at his partner hoping she knew a good rhyme.

Frightengale laughed and continued lashing out and struck the heroes causing them to slide to the edge of the roof. Luckily their balance kept them from falling off the edge. "Looks like you two are about to lose. Now which one of you should I chose?"

She raised her weapon and pointed it at Ladybug. "You're annoying little polka dot. I'm going to destroy you without a thought!" The whip smashed the edge of the roof sending Ladybug falling towards the ground.

Chat Noir jumped after her while continuing to rhyme. "Don't worry Ladybug, I'll make sure you're safe and sound. I'm not going to let you hit the ground."

Frightengale watched in frustration as Chat Noir prevented his partner from going splat. As soon as she was on her feet, the two made a hasty retreat behind all the abandon cars.

The Akuma danced off the roof and used her weapon to help her get to the ground safely. Strutting through the frozen statues, she called out. "You two think you're so clever. But soon you'll be frozen forever!"

From behind a bus, the duo whispered to one another. "At first glance this battle doesn't appear to be in our favor. We can't let our confidence waver. Unless we advance everyone in France, will before forced to dance."

"You know whole heartedly I agree. What can we do if we don't want to flee?"

"If her weapons causes harm, then I'll counter it with my Lucky Charm!" The pink light flashed in the air as a pair of handcuffs fell into her hands. She looked at them trying to figure out what they were for.

"It seems we need to stick together. Can you still fight while we're tethered?"

"Of course I can. After all it's your plan. I just need to borrow your optimism to activate my Cataclysm!" His power manifested on his fingertips. Tying their legs together with her yo yo, so they would stay in sync. Only then, did they handcuff themselves, before they went after Frightengale.

After another rhyming battle, the microphone was destroyed and the akuma was released. Ladybug purified it and restore things to normal. Clara Nightingale thanked them so much for saving her. Chat suggested she change her video slightly, so everyone could be in it.

With Chloe now in the video, as part of a line of students wearing Ladybug and Chat Noir masks, filming took a short time and a few days later the video was an instant hit.

* * *

In Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, Milina Brantiti watched the video, a huge smile on her face. Adrien and Marinette looked so happy together in the video and Clara Nightingale's voice was superb. "I hope both of them managed to wiggle out of any trouble they might have been with Mr. Agreste."

Through her Kwami Charms, she had learned about the new costume designs Marinette had used to ensure their secret identities weren't exposed. Clara had loved them, but she had yet to learn what the original designer thought of the changes.

Exiting out of the video, Milina reread the email she had gotten from her bosses, about why she was in Moldova to begin with.

Moldova was a country with a lot of history. Throughout history the lands had been invaded or annexed as property of other countries. On August 27th 1991 declared its independence as its own country and it was no longer part of Soviet Union. Since its independence, the government had a rocky history between political parties.

Despite the rocky history, the country was working hard to create lasting relationships with the EU Council. It was also part of many international organizations including, the UN, WTO, and the BSEC. The relationship between Moldova and the UN Security Council was strong, as the country had helped with a variety of peace keeping missions, including Côte d'Ivoire and Georgia.

The reason she had been sent here was similar to her previous missions. To talk about reforming the Security Council, see the progress of the United Nations Development Program, and its continuing efforts to create better diplomatic ties to other Eastern European countries.

The government was stationed in the capital city of Chișinău, which she was currently in. She could probably finish her mission in a day or two. Right now, it was taking every ounce of control to remain in the city. There was a strong impulse to head south to the Cahul region, where several prominent vineyards and wineries had been established.

Milina slapped herself in the face lightly, in an attempt to focus. "I can't be distracted. This mission is very important and I can't get sidetracked." Ignoring the pain coming from her palm, Ms. Brantiti took a trolley bus to her first appointment of the day.

Her first meeting was with, the current Permanent Representative of Moldova, Victor Moraru. He was currently in his home country with his family for a few short weeks, before he returned to his post in New York.

She met the man at his office. He greeted her warmly enough, however there was an underlying tension between the two of them. It was obvious the man was not happy about having his vacation with his family interrupted by business, which could have waited until he went back to work.

"Ms. Brantiti, I'm glad to meet you. It is a great honor to have a member from the Security Council, her in Moldova. As you know, my country has always proven itself dedicated to help other on peace missions."

Ms. Brantiti acknowledged his statement. "The UN greatly admires Moldova's continuing efforts to not only help the world, but the country itself. I've come here today, because I know you are part of the group hoping to reform the Security Council."

Mr. Moraru spoke calmly, "Yes, I'm part of the group calling for reform. As you know, many countries have yet to serve on the Security Council, including my own. As the Security Council is now, the conflicts of the world are more complicated than the five permanent members can vote on."

"Does your country want to be admitted as a permanent or semi permanent if the reform comes to pass?"

"We'll settle for becoming a semi permanent on the Security Council. You should also be aware of my efforts in the General Assembly to get my country nominated for future membership on the Security Council."

"Of course. The Security Council desires many different perspectives in this changing world."

The meeting continued for an hour discussing the different mission objectives. They also discussed further needs to improve the HDI results and work on enforcing laws against human right's violations.

Next she traveled to the actual UNDP building in the capital to double check the information she acquired from Mr. Moraru matched their findings. After speaking to several different officials she had everything she needed to send a report back to her bosses.

In the privacy of her hotel room, Milina wrote up her report. She cited specific examples of progress she had seen. She also added the growing desire for Moldova to have a larger role in the UN as a whole.

After sending the report, she really wanted to rest, but knew she couldn't as long as the urge to go to the Cahul region was strong in her mind. "Please let Master Fu have solved this one."

Once the connection was established Wayzz was the first face she saw. "Ning, I wish you didn't have so many faces. It's hard to keep track of your many different identities. Unlike you, I don't have a photographic memory."

The young woman rolled her eyes and laughed. "Trust me, Wayzz, my memory can be both a blessing and a curse. I've seen and done things I wish I could forget."

Peering past the turtle, she saw Master Fu come into view. He had a very pleased look on his face. "Please tell me you figured out the latest riddle," she literally begged.

"With Wayzz's help, as the light the riddle referred to was the transformation magic, I learned CRMC stands for Civil Rights Miraculous Circle." By now his Apprentice was use to the shooting pain in her hand.

Once the pain was gone, he continued to patiently explain what he had learned. He knew what the abstract ideas for this Circle were, but he knew nothing of the Kwamiis animal appearances or what they're Miraculouses could be.

"The concepts for this Circle include; justice, equality, and liberty. The others are judgment, innocence, guilty, along with exoneration. I find this Circle to reflect well on the purpose of the Miraculouses creation."

"I can see why. Master Fu, is this the last Miraculous Circle that's lost or are there more?"

Fu dipped his head down as his eyebrows furled. "I cannot be certain Ning. This was the last riddle I found, but as you know the Miraculous Book, still holds many secrets inside of it. Only your mark, will let you know when your quest is over. Do you have any leads of where you need to go?"

She nodded and told him not to worry. She had passed four challenges, three trustworthy, and two bad tests. She was confident that whatever the last test was, she would pass it.

* * *

The Cahul region was about fifty miles away. She could take the bus to the area. The closer she got the mark would be able to point her way and she would know which bus to take to a specific town once she arrived at the regional terminal.

The next day, Milina arrived early to the terminal. Her body was exhausted and her medical problems were starting to affect her performance. It had taken her ten minutes longer to just to do her morning routine. Despite resting, she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Focus! You can do this! You're an Apprentice and the Kwamiis chose you to find them. Don't get anxious Ning. You've trained for every type of situation. Whatever this test is or who the Keeper is, nothing will get in your way of completing this mission," she told herself under her breath before boarding the bus heading south.

Upon entering the region, the mark heated up quickly. A peek at her palm revealed which way she needed to go. Later, she switched buses and headed to the city of Comrat which was home to the oldest winery in the area, Comrat Wines. The winery was over a thousand years old!

The wines in this city were all red ones, and most of the product was exported to neighboring countries or abroad. It was ongoing effort to help bring critical economic wealth to the country and also, draw in more tourists. Moldova was the twentieth largest country to produce wine.

Upon arriving at the winery, she joined a tour group as they were lead around the vineyards and the winery itself. Milina paid close attention to the detailed history, hoping for a clue.

The group was lead into the winery where the wine was fermenting in large tanks. The tour guide was explaining that the wine would be fermenting in the tanks for different periods of time, depending on the vintage.

The guide asked the group to follow him to the cold storage area, where after the fermenting process, the wine was taken to get rid of the wine crystals, before going through a second fermenting.

On the way to the cold storage, Milina stopped. She felt someone's eyes on her and her mark was blazing hot. She took another step forward and felt the eyes tracking her. Turning around, she strolled towards the eyes.

She ended up in the office of the owner of the winery, who was waiting for her. He clapped his hands. "Well done, you're the first person, who's been able to track me down, after I eyeballed them myself."

"Are you the Keeper?" The owner nodded and explained the winery had been guarding the Miraculouses for years now. "After all, protecting magical items for a long time, is not different, then aging the perfect vintage."

"Very well, then. What's my test? Is it a challenge, trustworthy, or something bad?"

"That depends on your perspective. Judging by your appearance, this test might be considered bad to you."

The test was a dangerous and bad one in Peace Keepers mind. The owner had taken her into the wine cellar. Cellars in Moldovia could go for miles with up to a thousand bottles stored for aging. The Moldova winery "Milesti Mici" held the world record for the largest wine collection, a whopping two million bottles!

For her test, Peace Keeper would have to get drunk. Really drunk with a BAC level of 0.09%. Being this drunk would cause her to be even more lethargic, have balance issues, and blurred vision.

As soon as she was impaired, she was to start searching the entire cellar for a specific barrel, and use a code, to open it up and bring her prize back to the owner. The whole time she would be trying to function without hurting herself.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't drink unless I have too, and now I have to get drunk and not end up injured or dead," Peace Keeper growled to herself as she drank the wine. It had a nice taste she supposed.

Finally, it was time for her to start her search. Because of her impairment, she could barely walk straight and it was getting harder to see the barrels. Peace Keeper walked a slow as she could with her one hand on the barrels to help keep her up.

It took nearly two hours, but she finally found the right barrel. Her head was pounding as tapped out a tune on the other barrels. The lid slide away revealing a transparent box.

She took her the box and headed to the boss. Peace Keeper, felt her mind starting to get confused. Only her intense training of controlling her mind and body, kept her from passing out. As soon as she reached the owner and he told her that she had been successful, she let herself finally crash.

The owner kindly put her up in his house for the next few days to recover from both a hangover and heal from the effects of the alcohol. On the third day, Peace Keeper felt well enough look at the Miraculouses she had found.

The first item she found was a shield shape badge with a blue lobster on it. The next item was a black and white wristlet with a zebra decorating part of it. The next two items had birds on them.

The light gold torc had bald eagle on it, while there was a great horn owl on a cloak. There was a silver pendent with a kinkajou displayed on it. A pair of green and brown gloves with a crocodile on them. Lastly, there was a wolverine styled broach.

After putting them and the Kwami Charms into the magic box, she felt the mark on her hand tingle, not burn. "That's weird. Why would it be tingling?"

Flipping her palm over, saw the mark had changed. There were two sets of letters. UMC and CZMC respectfully. Under the UMC there was a number one. Under the CZMC the word safe had appeared.

Ning snapped her fingers. She understood what the letters meant. "Universal Miraculous Circle. We know where all of them except the Peacock is. That one remains missing. CZMC stands for Chinese Zodiac Miraculous. All of them are accounted for so there's no reason to search for them."

This meant she had found all the missing Miraculous Circles! However, the quest wasn't over yet. She still had to return them to Master Fu and check to see if all the Kwamiis were okay. As soon as she could, she was taking the next flight to Paris.

* * *

It was a beautiful afternoon in Paris. Ms. Bustier class had finished reading the two Percy Jackson books they were assigned. The books had been a lot of fun to read and most of the class wanted to read the complete series.

Some students went to the public library to check out the remaining books. Others went to stores to purchase them. Adrien and Marinette had gone to her house to order the books online and have them mailed to her address.

Marinette was filling out the order form for all the books Rick Riordan had written so far, because Tikki had advised her that it would be helpful in the future. "You never know what Hawkmoth will use for inspiration to create an akuma. Also, you can see how the characters solve problems with mythological foes."

Plagg, who was balanced on Adrien's shoulder, took a bite out of his cheese and was kicking his little legs in joy. Once he swallowed his food he commented on the books as well. "Humans can come up with some crazy ideas, but that doesn't mean they aren't smart."

Marinette was about to add her parents' credit card number to the form then paused. She turned her head to look up at her boyfriend, with a very puzzled expression on her face."Why can't you order your own set of books? Not to mention, why do the books have to be delivered to my place?"

Adrien made a face. "My father keeps track of my online purchases and any mail sent to me. If he found out I ordered _fantasy_ books to read for fun, he just send them back. He says the only books I need to read are non-fiction."

Marinette pursed her lips. Why would such a brilliant designer, who drew inspiration from the whole world, including fantasy themes, be heavily against his son reading those types of books?

The blond continued to speak. "I promised to pay your parents back. I even insisted before they relented. I'm lucky I can come over anytime I want to read my copies here."

He couldn't risk his father finding out he disobeyed his rules. His father might do more then send the books back. He could take away the privileges he had earned if his father wanted too.

Finally the books were ordered and the two went up to the balcony so Marinette could tend to her plants. "It always amazes me how beautiful the view from up here is."

"It would be easier for me to transform without risk of falling out my window to escape, if I had a balcony."

They went to kiss each other, when Marinette's phone rang. It was Alya. "Hey Alya, how are you? Please tell me there's not an Akuma attack going on?"

"Not this time. I just wanted to share a video with you! The coolest thing happened here at the library! Someone finally stood up to Chloe and gave her a smack down. Here, look at it!"

Marinette angled her phone so her boyfriend and the Kwamiis could watch the video. It showed Chloe with her hands on her hips and shouting at Sabrina, who had the remaining three books for the Percy Jackson series, in her arms.

"You've been here picking some trashy books to read, instead of coming over to my place and helping me do my homework? Where are your priorities Sabrina?!"

Sabrina tried to make herself smaller. She was trembling as she clutched the books to her chest. "I was go…go…going to your home...after…I…checked out these books. I wanted to read them in my free time."

Chloe threw her head back and laughed. "You, wanting something? Oh that's so adorable Sabrina." Then Chloe ripped the books out of Sabrina's hands and tossed them to the floor, where they made a loud bang.

"When exactly do you think you would have free time to read? After all, were best friends and we do everything together, right? I think you helping me with my shopping would be a lot more fun, then these books." To emphasize, she kicked one of the books under a table.

Footsteps could be heard and new person entered the video. It was the librarian and she didn't look pleased at all with the way Chloe was treating the books. "Books are for reading, not to be used as a ball." She bent down and retrieved the books. "Any damage to the books and you will have to pay the cost of replacing them."

Chloe glowered at the woman and raised her voice even more. "Do you know who I am?"

"You could be Queen of England, and you would still have to pay a fine. Also, you are disturbing the other patrons with your shouting. Either speak in a softer tone and handle the books properly, or I'm going to ask you to leave."

Chloe stomped her feet and crossed her arms. "Listen here, I'm the mayor's daughter. You can't threaten me. I'll just call my father and he'll have you fired in minutes."

Chloe's threat didn't faze the librarian. "Your father is a public servant same as me. We serve the city and if he fired me, the media would show your father taking advantage of his position, to enforce power over a much needed public servant."

Chloe was shocked that someone stood up to her. Angrily, she reached to dial her phone, only for it to be taken away by a security guard, who had arrived to find out what all the commotion was about. "Give that back right now! If you don't I'm going to…"

"Enough young lady. Either leave now or I will escort you out of the premises."

Chloe was enraged so much, she pushed the guard back. Enough was enough. The security guard took a hold of both the brat's arms and escorted her out of the building.

The video ended and Alya was laughing softly. "Can you believe it? Someone finally stood up to Chloe and if her father tries anything, they have the tape to prove her actions warranted her removal."

"We can only hope that this event inspires others to stand up to Chloe." Adrien nodded his head, thinking it was about time his friend learned, if she continued to throw tantrums, there would be consequences.


	8. Completion

**There will be one more chapter after this one, with information about the different Circles in this story.**

* * *

When Marinette and Adrien came over for their next lesson, they were surprised to see two basic first aid kits on the table. Wayzz and Honorra were in the back. They were having a hushed conversation.

"Please come in. Tell me, do either of you know the basic first aid?" Master Fu asked while smiling with his eyes.

"A little. Basically what to do if you accidentally get burned working in the kitchen."

"Knowing first aid is not a skill a model needs. I know first repair, how to fix a last minute problem, before going on the runway."

Marinette laughed trying to imagine Adrien's clumsy sewing skills to repair something. It would end up looking disastrous.

"While your suits protect you greatly from harm, you can still get hurt by either Akumas or doing something new, without practice. It is imperative you know how to do first aid in the field."

He closed eyes for a moment and stroked his goatee. Straitening his Hawaiian shirt, he informed them,"You will also need to learn basic first aid to help your Kwamiis."

"Bu…but I thought you were the only one who could heal them?" Marinette pointed out. When Tikki got sick before, she had felt helpless. If that happened again, Marinette feared she make Tikki sicker.

Tikki giggled and explained. "Master Fu is the only one, besides Ning when she's fully trained, who can fully heal a kwami. However, if getting to the Great Guardian takes time, there are ways to help us heal a little until we can get here."

"You better get this right, because I can extra cranky if I have to wait a long time to get healed," Plagg hissed at Adrien. The boy rolled his eyes wondering how much crankier the cat kwami could get then he already was.

A light coughing sound made Adrien refocus on the task at hand. "We will start with what should go in your first aid kit." The two teens sat down and pulled the kits towards them. They opened them up and saw on the supplies in there. The Great Guardian asked them to take the supplies out so they could memorize what went in a kit.

There was an information leaflet, which had pictures to explain how to use the items in the kit properly. There were also different size boxes full of different band aids types, pads, and a cold pack. Other items in the kit were gloves, antibiotic ointment, medical tape and tweezers.

"The first rule of first aid is to always make sure you have what you need. Remember to restock the kit frequently, as the antibiotic creams have expiration dates." His eyes bore into them when he said this, causing the teens to gulp in slight fear.

Opening the leaflet, the two teenagers started to practice the procedures on some dolls Master Fu had purchased for this occasion. The old man was a stern taskmaster when it came to first aid. The main goal of first aid, was to prevent further harm from happening to a patient.

Adrien was practicing with the tweezers, taking out splinters of the doll. He leaned over the doll, lined up the tweezers and then missed the toothpick that was being used.

Again, he tried to grasp the toothpick. He had the toothpick in the tweezers. He lifted out to fast and the toothpick remained stuck in the doll. "Why is this so hard? Plagg, can you help me?"

"Take it slow. Even during an emergency if you go to fast, you'll end up hurting someone worse." The cat kwami held his chin in his paws for a second. He snapped his tail as a thought came to mind.

Plagg phased into the cabinet where Master Fu kept his massage oils. Butting the door open with his head, the black cat handed his wielder a small magnifying glass.

"I hope this helps you see better."

Taking the magnifying glass in one hand, Adrien used his dominate to get a good grip on the tiny wood piece and pulled it out. "Hey that wasn't so hard."

"Indeed Adrien, you did well. However, you must be able to do this during a fight, while keeping track of every piece you remove from your partner. If you don't, then someone could end up needing to go to the hospital for a blood transfusion."

The teen lost some color in his cheeks as he imagined something terrible happening to Marinette or his friends. Turning back to the doll, the Guardian had given it a new ailment. This time Adrien needed to treat insect bites and stings.

Marinette was working on treating cuts on her doll. "That's right, clean it up thoroughly then put on the antibiotic cream. Now what do you do?" Tikki asked the bluenette.

"Figure out if you need a bandage or a dry pad. If it's the dry pad, place it over the cut and tape it down with medical tape. If it doesn't need a dry pad, find the correct size bandage and make sure it's secured over the cut."

"Smart girl! I knew you would remember what to do."

The door leading to the residential area opened as Wayzz and Honorra came in with two small red and black containers with a gold phoenix on top of them. The teens each got one and opened the container, not understanding how the contents would help their Kwamiis.

The teens took out tiny jingle bells, a bag of gem dust, and some cotton swabs. There was also a weird smelling paste, a needle and thread, and lastly, a small vial containing a white mixture inside.

The Great Guardian explained each item to the wielder. The bells, their music would relax Kwamiis if they were hurt. Cotton swaps to wipe away blood or toxic substances. Gem dust worked like antibiotic cream for Kwamiis.

The paste was to seal wounds and help speed up recovery. Needle and friend to stitch up the tiny gods. The vial held a potion that was only to be used as a last resort. The potion could restore a kwami to full power instantly, but using it would also cause the kwami to cocoon themselves until they regained their energy once the wielder let go of the transformation.

"I have a question? After we learn all these first aid skills, where are going to put the kits? Do we stash them across the city or do we carry them in our hands?"

"You will carry them on you in your suits' magical pockets of course."

Seeing their confusion, again Tikki gave an explanation. "Your suits are made of magic and one thing magic is good at, is creating tiny pockets to store items in. After you transform, you imagine a small pocket on your suit and one will be created to store your items."

"Try not to put to many things in the pocket. It's not endless or bottomless. The pocket will magically seal itself up and disappear from the suit. If you want to access them, you just have to think of the pocket and it will reappear," Plagg commented from on top of Adrien's head. He loved messing with his wielder's luxurious blond locks.

Hearing this, Marinette suggested Adrien and her, take a few basic first aid courses to learn all they could. Adrien pointed out that his father wouldn't see a reason for them, considering, both the Gorilla and Nathalie, knew all about it.

"What if they're ones injured and you have to give them first aid? It's an important skill to learn and I'm sure it will fit in your father's idea of being perfect."

It did make sense and he would like to learn to help people. He would have to approach this delicately. His father had been very upset with both him and Marinette for altering the Chat Noir costume for the music video without his permission.

The only reason they could still see each other was because of Clara Nightingale, who had loved the costumes so much, she had personally asked Marinette to be on Gabriel's team on her next outfit design. However, if they ever pulled a stunt like this again, they would be in serious trouble.

* * *

A few days later, Marinette was very excited. Jagged Stone's manager, Penny Rolling, had asked if Jagged could work at her family's bakery for a day, for this reality show, his producer signed him up for. The teen had eagerly agreed, after she consulted her parents.

"Are you sure about this Marinette? The bakery is an awfully small place for all the cameras and crew that will be here."

"I promise Mom this is a good idea. Think of all the business you and dad will get after this episode. Besides, Penny promised the crew would avoid our home."

Tom placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. He kissed her on the cheek. "I promise Sabine, if there is any trouble, well call a halt to the whole episode. It will be fine."

Just in case something went horribly wrong, Marinette hid anything related to her Miraculous duties and closed the trapdoor to her room. She also locked her parents' bedroom door so no one could stray in there.

The crew arrived and Jagged Stone got ready to learn to how to bake. Alic signaled the camera to start. "Welcome everyone to another episode of "In Your Shoes". Today we have the famous rock star Jagged Stone learning what it takes to be a baker!"

"Rock on! I'm going to make the most amazing… what are we making again Mr. Dupain?"

Nervously, Tom cleared his throat, waved his hand at the camera, then announced, "I'm going to teach you how to make the dough for the perfect loaf of bread." Jagged slapped the big man on the back saying this was the coolest moment of his life.

As the crew captured every moment of Jagged Stones hilarious attempts to make dough right, Marinette noticed Penny was clicking her pen several times. "Ms. Rolling, are you okay?"

The pink haired assistant smiled at the teen, though it did seem a bit forced. "I'm okay. I've done everything on today's list, Jagged is happy, and so far the show is going smoothly. I work hard to help Jagged achieve his dreams."

"I'm sure he appreciates all the hard work you do," Sabine said as she squeezed Penny's shoulder. "Just remember dear, you have to take some time for yourself and your dreams."

The assistant assured her she always did. She also secretly loved being called dear. Jagged's pet name for her was Penny-Dear. It made her feel even closer to the man. She felt as if she was the only one who truly knew Jagged inside and out.

About two minutes later Jagged started to sneeze, causing the flour to go all over him. The man pretended to be a ghost before he started sneezing again. He sneezed so hard that the camera got covered in flour and the crew had to switch to a commercial.

It turned out Jagged was allergic to non-organic flour and he needed to clean himself up. Sabine told them were the bathroom was upstairs. A minute passed and getting impatient, Bob the producer, went upstairs after Jagged. Then two minutes later, Alic and the camera crew went upstairs so they could continue the show.

The family looked at each other. They all were thinking the same thing. Confined space, plus aggressive people, equaled an emotional breakdown. Marinette headed to the stairs, but jumped back when she heard a loud female voice screaming she had enough and needed some time alone.

"I think we need to ask the crew and Jagged Stone to leave. There are just too many people here," Sabine told her family. Her husband agreed with her. They would tell the crew when they got back downstairs.

"I'm going to go check on Penny to see if she's okay," the bluenette stated. She headed up the stairs, passed by the others, and headed to the apartment ready to help the young woman calm down before she gained Hawkmoth's attention.

Before she reached the door, she felt very cold. She started shivering then was kicked in the back and fell on the floor as someone stomped on her. Her body cried out in pain."Sweet little Marinette, coming to help me? Well I don't need it because Hawkmoth gave me his! If you want to stay safe, then don't make trouble for Troublemaker!"

There was a distinctive click and the Akuma phased through the floor heading for the bakery. Marinette heard things being smashed or people yelling as she pushed herself up. Instantly it felt as if her back was trying to knit the bones back together.

"Ow! Tikki check my back please?"

The ladybug kwami did and saw a large boot shape print on the teen's back. It was already starting to bruise badly. "It's badly bruised and I'm sure it's hurting your spine. We should put some ice on it to help numb the pain."

Marinette stood up, despite the pain. "We don't have time for that Tikki. Ladybug is needed now. I hope my Chaton is quick on his feet. Spots ON!"

In a dazzling shower of pink sparkles, Ladybug stood in the hallway. The magic of the suit was keeping her from feeling the pain. It was a distant echo right now. Ladybug dropped down through the narrow gap that separated the floors.

She blinked her eyes twice to make sure what her eyes were seeing was real. Troublemaker had activated the security system. The punk ghost had sealed the bakery and residential area from one another.

A split second of cold, was all the warning Ladybug had before twisting herself away from Troublemaker, who had nearly grabbed the earrings, by phasing through the sealed door.

Ladybug tried to grab the akumatized pen, but Troublemaker became intangible and sank through the floor. With limit space to move in, Ladybug used her yo-yo to get back upstairs.

Entering the apartment, she saw all the windows were covered up as well. There was no escaping outside. Another cold sensation and this time Ladybug rolled forward before sweeping out her feet and missing Troublemaker's pen again. This Akuma was very fast.

"Ha ha ha. When are you going to learn Ladybug?" Troublemaker taunted her and kept phasing through the floors and walls. She would turn tangible just long enough to land a hit or kick on the spotted heroine.

Before Ladybug could counter attack, Troublemaker would go ghost again and the teenager couldn't land a hit on her. Troublemaker grabbed Ladybug, and tossed her straight into the fridge.

Sliding down, one of her earrings fell off. "NO!" Ladybug shrieked as her transformation slowly became undone. She lunged for the earring, but fell short as Troublemaker picked it up and laughed.

The purple butterfly mask appeared over her face. "Excellent work Troublemaker! Get the other one and then dispose of her. Then you can go after Chat Noir."

Troublemaker started to click the pen, but it was knocked out of her hand, along with the earring, by Chat Noir's baton. One of the security windows was missing a plate. The cat hero had torn it off so he could save his Cataclysm for fighting Troublemaker.

"You won't hurt My Lady!"

"Oh I think I will. Right after I swipe your ring." Kicking the pen up in the air, she snatched it tightly. She lunged forward, aiming for Chat Noir's ring.

"Warning Spots!"

Troublemaker found herself trapped in a cage of spots. Ladybug had her arms outstretched, covered in sweat as she attempted to keep the power going. "Chat, get her pen!"

Sneering, Troublemaker clicked her pen and jumped up through the ceiling and into Marinette's room. After a few seconds, she didn't reappear. She was either still hiding upstairs or was waiting to surprise them again.

Inside the bedroom, Troublemaker was sitting on Marinette's stairs to her bed, waiting for the two heroes to come after her. There was some noise by the trap door, so Troublemaker went intangible.

The first up was Chat Noir, who was shielding Ladybug, who was carrying a spotted plate. "Be careful Ladybug. We can't let her get your earrings again."

"She won't. I trust you."

Troublemaker reappeared just then and slammed the boy into the floor. She stepped over him, reaching for the earrings.

With all her strength, Ladybug smashed the plate on the Akuma's head, causing the woman to sway a bit. Behind Troublemaker, Chat Noir had his eyes closed and clenched his fist. He reached out and used his special ability Misfortune.

Troublemaker's shoes got stuck in a crack on the floor. "No, this can't be happening!" She frantically tried to click her pen only to realize it was no longer in her hand.

"Looking for this?" Chat Noir taunted her with the object. Swiftly, he activated Cataclysm and destroyed the pen. Once everything was back to normal the heroes checked on Penny.

"How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"No, but thank you for asking me Ladybug. I appreciate your help and Chat Noir's. Thank you for freeing me."

* * *

A few days later, "Milina Brantiti" was on a flight to Paris. She had finally been allowed to leave Moldova. The Security Council wanted her to come straight home, but the UN agents had convinced them to let her travel to Paris to check on her first Peacekeeping team.

It was three hours from Chișinău to Paris. Milina barely managed to get in her seat. Her missions had been anything, but easy. Keeping different governments happy and writing up the reports had been just as exhausting as the tests had been.

Her body was extremely strained and exhausted. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to function fully. No matter how much rest she got, it wasn't enough because every day she had to be on her feet and doing her job.

No matter how much she tried to get comfortable in her seat, she just couldn't do it She ached all over. She kept clutching her carry-on bag, where the magical box was stowed, to make sure it was still there. There was no way she was going to lose the Miraculouses and Kwami Charms, she had uncovered.

Looking at the world below, she watched how the landscape seemed to change so quickly. This quest had literary taken her around the world, the only continent she hadn't visited was Antarctica. Not surprising, considering how hard it was to reach the place, especially over a hundred years ago.

Leaning a bit further into her chair, she brushed her fingers around Nooroo's Kwami Charm. She reached out to him, hoping he could answer. He needed to know what was going on. Hopefully, he also knew where the Peacock was. _"Nooroo, can you hear me?"_

 _"Whisper softly please. My master's not transformed right now, but I don't want to look like I'm talking with someone."_

 _"If I tell you something important, will you be able to keep it a secret or would you have to tell him?"_

 _"Depends on what the secret is. If you think you can tell me without giving me too much information away, perhaps I can keep it a secret."_

 _"Your long distant "cousins" are coming to Paris for a reunion, each bringing their own little sparkles with them. The only other kwami to miss this reunion, besides you, will be your "sister." Do you know how I could reach her?"_

 _"I don't know. The last time I felt my "sister" was when I first awakened. I feel that she is near, but where I can't say for certain."_

 _"At least we know she's not completely lost. Anything else you can share with me?"_

 _"He wanted to know if he could create another Kwami Charm for me. He wanted to take back the power I gave you, but he can't. Only if a Kwami Charm is destroyed can a new one be made. Since you have mine, he can't create another one. Not that he would know what to do in the first place, because it isn't covered in his fake Miraculous Book."_

 _"What a relief. No make it a double sigh of relief, because you couldn't tell him anything about the potions. What about his powers and abilities? Can you tell me anything about those?"_

 _"Just a generalization. He aware of how to defend himself, but hasn't tried it yet. He's frustrated about hitting a block in his abilities. The only thing I can tell you freely is he's been throwing a lot of temper tantrums lately."_

 _Ning giggle as she imagined a grown man acting like a two year old. "Please be chary Nooroo. Keep hanging in there, I know all of us will figure a way to help rescue you."_

 _"I know you will. Goodbye."_

* * *

The telepathic link dissolved and Milina was once more left with her own thoughts. She opened the zipper of her bag and peaked inside. The magic box appeared to be glowing softly, the precious items inside hummed. She quickly closed the bag before the person next to her could see what was inside.

I can't believe how many Miraculouses I found on my quest. Who knew there would be twelve Miraculous Circles: Universal, Chinese Zodiac, Humanities, then Friendship, Emotion, Genre, followed by Elemental Creatures, Ideology, Seven Virtues, and lastly Religious and Civil Rights.

She also had found all the Kwami Charms, including Honorra's. None of the newly found Miraculouses, had been damaged. Most of them just needed a good cleaning. Maybe the Kwamiis knew what happened to their Great Guardians she thought to herself.

Finally, the plane landed in Paris. It was the middle of the afternoon in the city. By now, Paris, had become like a second home to her. This time, she rode the bus into town getting off several blocks north of her destination.

If someone was watching her, she needed to make sure they didn't follow her. No one was taking her hard earned treasure from her! She walked a few blocks further west.

She went to the subway, pretended to get on one train, before getting right off it on the other side. She did this three times before she took the train closest to Master Fu's. After a few more false trails she arrived at the shop.

Master Fu was reading a page in the Miraculous Book, when there was a heavy knock on the door. He looked to see who it was, and saw a palm with the golden mark daubed against the peep hole.

Fu swiftly opened the door. His Apprentice quickly came in, looking very unwell, as she propped herself up against the wall to keep from falling over. The old man knew instantly how sick his "granddaughter" was. She appeared to be sicker then the last time he communicated with her. "Right to bed young lady. I will fix something up to help you heal in a few days."

"What about the…" Ning started to say before Fu interrupted her.

"The new Circles will stay safe in the magic box for a few more days. I will not let my Apprentice continue to suffer after such a difficult quest. Go to bed now."

Taking her possessions with her, Ning made it to the cot set up for her. After securing them, she lay down on the cot feeling exhausted and in pain. She didn't even have the energy to take off her disguise.

"We can take your disguise off later. I want you drink all of this to help you heal. When you wake up, you'll take it as needed until your back to yourself." Fu helped Ning drink a purple potion before letting her drift off to sleep.

Over the next three days, Ning slept, only awakening to take in nutrients or go to the bathroom. She continued to take the potion Fu had mixed up for her. Ning would have to ask him how to make it because it was helping her recover faster than normal.

* * *

Finally, Ning was back to perfect health. She felt even better than she had before her body started to strain. "Whatever was in that potion, really did the trick. I haven't felt this good in some time."

"I'm glad to hear that Ning. The potion is one of many I will teach you to make. The potions are not just for healing or transforming Kwamiis. Some of them are for Guardians and Wielders, to help them when they're sick."

Ning smiled, telling him he could teach her lessons on what she missed until she had to go back to New York.

Honorra hovered anxiously over the magic box. It hadn't been touched since Ning arrived, because the box would only open to Ning's touch since she was the last user.

"I want to see my "siblings" please. Can't we wake them up now?" the little magpie beseeched.

Wayzz shook his head and crossed his little arms. "It would be very unwise and dangerous to wake them up. So many active Kwamiis would surely alert Hawkmoth to our presences."

"He already knows you two exist Wayzz! My "siblings" and our "cousins" have been dormant for a long time, they need to breathe fresh air," Honorra her feathery arms wide, she pointed out the necessity of finding out what happened to the other Great Guardians and let the Circles know they were safe.

As the two Kwamiis bickered back and forth, the Great Guardian was discussing the matter with his Apprentice. "Wayzz is correct that awakening so many Kwamiis at once would be dangerous. Hawkmoth's empathy might latch onto so many emotions in one place."

"That is a possibility. I managed to contact Nooroo for a private conversation during my plane ride here." Seeing Master Fu's grave face, she quickly told him what Nooroo had revealed.

The old man's face relaxed slightly upon hearing about Hawkmoth's struggle with his empathy. Before, he was progressing fast. Now he had hit a block and wasn't gaining power.

Ning pressed on, reaching to scratch her face, but stopped herself. After wearing her "Milina Brantiti" face for so long, her skin had become very sensitive to sensation.

"Honorra also has a point. Those Kwamiis deserve to know what is going on right now. I also agree they might be the only ones with the answers to what happened to the other Guardians."

Fu mulled over the situation for a few minutes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought back to his own master, and what he would do in this situation. Finally he had an answer.

"I believe we do need to awaken them, but we should keep the dormant ones in the, Universal and Chinese Zodiac Circles, asleep. Do you know how to cast protective wards around a building?"

She nodded and he told her they would set them up and once Marinette and Adrien arrived, they would awaken the Circles. They would then question them once they settled down after reuniting with one another.

Master and Apprentice worked together casting wards to protect the building and keep magic inside Fu's home. It was slow going as each ward needed to be reinforced to prevent any leakage of magic. Outside, they had to triple the reinforcement to ensure everyone inside would be safe.

After they finished setting the wards, both of them sat down by the table and started cleaning the Miraculouses. Honorra and Wayzz would then help make spaces for each Miraculous to lay comfortably in an assigned drawer along with their Kwami Charms.

Master Fu had already discovered a spell to release dormant Kwamiis without wielders for a few hours. Because they didn't know what any of them ate, Ning had bought a lot of different snacks and drinks, hoping it would be edible for the Kwamiis.

An hour after school got out, Marinette and Adrien arrived, with their Kwamiis. They were surprised to see Ning. "When did you get back to Paris?" Marinette asked as she gave the older woman a hug.

"A few days ago. I've been on bed rest recovering from my quest." The agent took Adrien's hand and gave it a firm shake. When Tikki and Plagg came over, she scratched under their chins, making both of them let out sighs of contentment.

"So your return to the city must mean you found all of them. That's great!" Adrien smiled thinking about how they now had an advantage over Hawkmoth. While the Circles wouldn't be used, it was good to know they wouldn't be used against them.

Ning flipped over her left hand, her palm outstretched. The mark had changed again. The CZMC lettering had vanished leaving just the UMC with the number one under it. "The only Miraculous still missing is Duusu's pin. Nooroo relayed to me, he felt her nearby when he first awoke. I'm afraid of what that means."

The four of them all had the same thought. It was exceedingly likely Hawkmoth had the Peacock Miraculous as well. Why he hadn't used it was a mystery. Most likely, he couldn't awaken Duusu or wanted to keep her in reserve should he ever be attacked.

Everyone looked down, with saddened faces. Ning blinked back her tears and sat upright. "No matter where Nooroo or Duusu are, I will never give up on helping rescue them both and bring the Kwamiis home." The others replied in agreement, each of them promising to work harder to stop Hawkmoth no matter how long it would take.

After swearing their promises, the two teens looked at the many different Miraculouses. Never before had they seen so many and they were all sorts of colors and shapes. The Kwami Charms hummed with power. It was very humbling to be int he presences of so many magical items.

"I can't believe how many there are. If you include the Nooroo and Duusu, that's a hundred Kwamiis! Literally a hundred tiny beings," Adrien whispered as his eyes started to pop out of his head.

"I know, and to think this might be just a tiny fraction of the Kwami race. There could be thousands more with all the abstract ideas created each day," Marinette responded softly. Her hand hovered over the different boxes wanting to touch each of the new Miraculouses.

No one spoke as Fu started casting the spell to wake the dormant Kwamiis up. The words were very difficult to say and his hands moved quickly in several different gestures.

The mark on Ning's hand burned one last time before vanishing completely. The energy in the apartment started to crackle and spark. Each of the Miraculouses were glowing different colors of the spectrum.

The Great Guardian finished the spell. There was a mini explosion of sound and a shockwave forced everyone to the floor. A wispy white cloud covered the room for a few seconds before it evaporated.

Forcing themselves upright, all the humans gaze locked on the different Kwamiis. They all seemed frozen in a trance and hovering in midair. Their eyes closed with their arms lying flat against their sides. None of them moved.

Honorra couldn't keep quiet any longer. She launched herself at a small brown kwami with an elephant head and legs, whose upper body was so slim, it shouldn't have been able to support the head. The end of its little paws had tiny thumbnails.

"Ellery, wake up! Ellery please talk to me, it's Honorra."

The elephant kwami opened her bright yellow eyes and took a deep breath. After rubbing her eyes she looked at Honorra and trumpeted. "Honorra! I'm so glad to see you!"

As the two "sisters" hugged, the rest of Kwamiis woke up. Names were being called out, "Flapper! Runner! Sanna!" The Kwamiis levitated all over in excitement. The Circles hugged all their siblings before introducing themselves to the others. Tikki, Plagg, and Wayzz, joined in.

For the first time, in over two centuries, all the Kwamiis, (save Nooroo and Duusu), were reunited as one big happy family!

Letting the Kwamiis talk amongst themselves for a little while, Fu cleared his throat getting the attention of all the Kwamiis. "Greetings everyone. My name is Master Wang Fu and I'm the last Great Guardian. I have watched over the Universal and Chinese Zodiac Miraculous since the fall of the Order a hundred and sixty nine years ago."

"The temple fell?" gasped the pangolin kwami.

"How can you be the last Great Guardian? Surely there must be more of them," the squirrel kwami stated in courteous voice.

Master Fu shushed all the Kwamiis and told them to listen closely as he finished explaining what was going on. At his request, all the Kwamiis found a place to sit down in the room. They folded their little paws and held their heads high as they listened to the rest of the story.

The Great Guardian explained how when the temple fell, he had absconded and searched for other Great Guardians without success. He informed his new guests, about the threat they were currently facing and introduce the other humans.

Ning showed them the recovered Book and video playback of her quest to find the lost Circles and the many tests she had undergone to retrieve them. The Apprentice even took off her Kwami Charm Necklace and passed it around so all the little gods saw how much she was trusted.

Marinette and Adrien added in a few of their adventures and what they had learned so far as wielders.

When the humans finished their story, all the Kwamiis were wide eyed. Most of them were in shock or disbelief. They whispered amongst themselves as they tried to process everything that had happened since they went dormant.

One kwami, the dragonfly one, who represent hope, glided from his perch on the window sill. Master Fu opened his right palm and the kwami landed gently on it. "I speak for all of us here today. We are very grateful for what you and your team have done for us. The thought of being lost forever and never awakening again, is a fear all of us share."

The others all voiced agreement. Some of them even shuddered at the thought of never waking up again. Others eyed their Miraculouses in the boxes thankful they were undamaged. They were even more grateful that the Miraculous Book had been recovered in relatively good condition.

"Is there anything we can do for you in return for you efforts Great Guardian?" the dragonfly asked.

"We need to find out what happened to the other Great Guardians. If any of you have some idea about their fate after they gave you to Keepers, please tell us."

Ning opened the Book to a blank page, ready to record what happened to the other Great Guardians. Meanwhile, Marinette and Adrien, were passing out the snacks. Some of them were the foods the Kwamiis liked, but a majority of them didn't have their food, but ate anyways to reenergize.

* * *

Ellery trumpeted her trunk, wishing to speak first. "We will do our best to help you, even if the knowledge is incomplete. During the 1840's, the Humanities Circle had been distributed in Korea and China because of the Opium Wars."

Ellery, remembered something and went over to the Miraculous Book. Touching the opposite page, her memories came to life in video hologram! Near the border between the two countries eight white dots blinked.

"The Order of the Guardians believed in the strict rules about opium being only used for medicinal purpose and that illegal trading and purchasing, would cause global problems. Our chosen ones were to prevent further conflict with the British, while keeping it from spilling into Korea."

The holographic video displayed images of several different heroes and heroines in different costumes performing great deeds. The images changed again and this time they saw a clean shaven Chinese man with extremely short hair and big nose.

All members of the Humanities Circle bowed their head respectfully. "Master Guo, was the Great Guardian of our Circle. None of our wielders knew of his existence. Master Guo ensured we were safe and that nothing would happen to us."

The video showed the signing of the Treaty of Nanking, which gave Great Britain many privileges, but deeply hurt the Chinese government. Somehow all the wielders had managed to sneak into the signing. They all had neutral expressions, but you could see in their eyes, some of them were displeased by this outcome."

Honorra, who had been sitting on her cushion, walked over a touched the book. A very grainy video was displayed. In it the little kwami was taking rapidly with a young _kisaeng,_ who was wearing the _ayam_ , which previously held the magpie's Miraculous jewel.

"I remember something. Two weeks after the treaty was signed, Bora, my chosen, told me something greatly dishonorable was going to happen soon, in her patron's home."

The magpie wrapped her feather arms around her body, quivering in fear. "I don't remember what it was, but she said something about protecting me from being harmed. The rest is blank."

"Most likely Bora buried the Miraculous to prevent it being taken, because she didn't know about the Great Guardian, which also explains why your Kwamii Charm was in Japan," Ning concluded thoughtfully as she held her chin.

Ellery patted her "sister's" back and squeezed her gently. "I recall Master Gou coming for us a few years later. He appeared to be very frantic and his nose was broken. He was very upset he couldn't find you. Before he made us all go dormant again, he said something about escaping to Japan. That's the last thing we remember."

Adrien the math whiz, did a few calculations as well as doing some measurements. He determined Great Guardian Gou had retrieved the Miraculous a few months prior of the destruction of the Order of the Guardian's temple in 1847.

"You realize what this means? The person who attacked the temple knew beforehand about the locations of the other Great Guardians. They were hunting them down, forcing the Guardians away from the temple so they couldn't help protect it."

Marinette was horrified by her partner's conclusion. It was sick to think about humans being hunted like animals. Indeed, even Master Fu, couldn't stop the tears coming from his eyes. His expression was one of anger. Ning kept her emotions inside, not letting them distract her from the issue.

A raptor call made everyone look at a different kwami, the red tail hawk one. Like Honorra, this one had feathered arms and a small tail. However, her feet had tiny talons at the end of them unlike Honorra.

"My name is Redda, I'm the Kwami of Honesty for the Friendship Miraculous Circle. I would like to share my memory of what happened before we went dormant."

She approached the Miraculous Book and pressed her paw on it, refusing to let go as her memory started to play. The image that appeared showed a POW camp. Several Thai people were shackled to poles in the hot sunlight, while Vietnamese guards shouted at them.

"The Siamese–Vietnamese War, (1841-1847), was very unfriendly time. The confrontational rivalry between Vietnam and Siam, the conflict was triggered by Vietnam's absorption of Cambodia and the demotion of the Khmer monarchs. Siam seized the opportunity to intervene as the tide of Khmer discontent rose against Vietnamese rule.

Our Great Guardian Master Wei and his Apprentice Yan were sent by the Order to promote the ideas of peace and friendship. It was a very busy time for our Circle."

Redda's tail drooped as she watched her past-self, begging her wielder to speak with the great commander Bodinecha and tell him to stop fighting this war and end it peacefully.

The image changed, this time it showed two men, one middle age and one young, fleeing from something chasing them through thick jungle. Protecting them were all the Miraculous wielders.

Redda's wielder, kept turning his head backwards, the hawk like mask eyes pinpointing something. The man shouted a warning, before an explosion happened near the group.

The wielders of the porcupine and dhole Miraculouses pushed the younger man to the ground protecting him from the blast. The cow and moose tried to do the same thing for the older man, but weren't fast enough.

The man hit the ground with burns covering him. The younger man pleaded with the Great Guardian to get up. Instead, the man gave him a Miraculous Box and whispered something to his Apprentice, before he died.

"Our wielders never told us what was happening. Our bonds with them left a few bits of memory of what they experienced. Shortly after that, our wielders gave us up and we returned to dormancy. That was the last we ever saw of Yan."

The other Circles had similar stories. The dragonfly kwami, Zippy, spoke of their Great Guardian booking passage on a ship to go to India, so they didn't know how they ended up in Western Australia.

The seal Kwami of the GMC remembered brief periods of being woken up and then sealed again multiple times by their Great Guardian before they went dormant for good.

The last thing the Ferret Kwamii of the AMC recalled was their Great Guardian assuring them, he would find someone to keep them safe while he was gone. The Flying Fish Kwami, who was part of the ECMC, stated when he and his siblings demanded answers for why they had to go dormant before they were distributed only for their Great Guardian doing it forcefully.

The raccoon, fossa, dove, and lobster Kwamiis of the remaining Circles reported their Great Guardians had been struggling or fighting to keep them safe before they went dormant.

* * *

It had taken a few years, but all the Great Guardians had been found and killed, but not before they had hidden their Miraculous Circles with strong Keepers. Ning suspected the people responsible for the murder spree had either thought the Miraculouses were destroyed or they never found out about the Keepers.

Adrien had turned ashen from all the stories and his stomach was flip flopping. He took off running into the residence and barely managed to get to the bathroom to puke his guts out.

Marinette, had tears streaking down her face. Her clothes felt restrictive and she tossed her jacket off. "Dead, so many dead. If Great Guardians could die, then we can die as well. No one is safe."

She reached for her earrings to remove them, only for Tikki to tug her hand away. "Marinette, please don't. Ladybug is needed now to stop Hawkmoth."

The kwami made a pouty face while keeping a firm grip on Marinette's hand. "Every Miraculous user faces death when their active. It's part of the job. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Please don't abandon me."

Marinette wiped her tears away and hugged Tikki. "I would never abandon you Tikki, but I'm still concerned about dying. What if Hawkmoth has some connection to the person who ordered the murders of the Great Guardians?"

Her bluebell eyes met with Ning's emerald ones. "You theorized the person who attacked the temple, could have a legacy trying to complete what the predecessor started."

Ning thought about it for a few seconds then shook her head. "I doubt Hawkmoth has any connection to whoever attacked the temple. Nooroo and Duusu were lost for a long time before he emerged. Hawkmoth has a singular focus and didn't even know about the other Miraculous until the incident with Volpena."

Adrien entered the room again. Color returned to his cheeks and he wasn't clutching his stomach. He returned to his seat and surprisingly, Plagg started to be affectionate with him. The cat kwami understood Adrien's need for human contact when he was greatly upset.

Master Fu, who had been quiet for a long time, stood up and spoke in a kind tone to everyone in the room. "What has happened is in the past. We cannot change it."

He gestured to all the new Kwamiis in the room. "Your Guardians did everything in their power to keep you safe, even at the cost of their lives. Their Keepers fulfilled their mission and ensured all of you returned to me safely."

He walked around the room, giving pats or hugs to the multiple Kwamiis. He whispered words of encouragement. If a kwami was grieving, the Great Guardian gave them a tissue to use.

Once he finished his rounds, he returned to his original spot. Wayzz joined him on his right shoulder. "Our current mission is to stop Hawkmoth and rescue the last two missing Kwamiis. He is very cunning and a master manipulator, who has been experimenting to increase his power."

Again, Ning displayed Nooroo's Kwami Charm. "Nooroo bestowed me half his power to prevent Hawkmoth from growing too strong. It was a brave act considering he nearly died because of it.

Right now, Hawkmoth has reached his limit, but all of us know he could start progressing again. He is only aware of the Universal Circle. It is too dangerous to have everyone active."

It saddened the Kwamiis who knew they had to go dormant again. Being awake and active was the reason they had all agreed to let the wizard create the Miraculouses in the first place.

Master Fu knew how they felt and told them it wouldn't be permanently. "The Miraculous Book pages on all of you are too faded to read any information. It is imperative to restore the lost knowledge. Therefore, we will be waking up one Circle at a time to learn more about each of you."

Marinette added during their active phases, Adrien and her would help catch them up on what they missed during their time asleep. They would also take the Kwamiis out into the modern world on mini field trips.

Lastly, Adrien commented after all the information was gathered, they would occasionally bring them out of their dormancy, so they could stretch out so to speak.

"It's a dangerous idea, but it is my way of helping you all heal from your ordeal. I do not know if you will ever have new wielders in this modern age. All I can promise is that I will do my best to be the Great Guardian you all deserve," the old man gripped his Miraculous. It flashed, recognizing the oath he swore.

The room was all in agreement with this idea. Hawkmoth and whoever else was after them, would find themselves at a great disadvantage now.


	9. Kwami Facts

It was the day before Ning had to go home to NYC. During the last few days she had impressed Master Fu, with her natural talent of learning all the potions, basic healing techniques, and successfully imprint her memory into a rock, without too much trouble.

Fu came into the main room with some hot chocolate, a change from their usual tea sessions. He took a sip of his drink letting out a pleasurable hum. "Have you finished entering in the data from the Civil Rights Miraculous Circle?"

Ning nodded and flipped open the Miraculous Book. She flipped a few pages before coming to the right ones about that particular Circle. "I finished transcribing last night, but I wanted to double check one more time to make sure everything was the way you wanted."

Fu pulled the Book in front of him and looked over the information. At the top of the page was the title of what Circle was being discussed. The rest of the information was listed on the page.

The information had a set order. Name, animal, and abstract. Followed by Miraculous, food, and gender. Then personality, activation/deactivation phrases, and weapons. Lastly, there was powers and special abilities.

Marinette had assisted in restoring the illustrations so now they could be seen properly. Adrien had bought Marinette the finest art supplies to help improve the illustrations.

Ning took the Book back and searched for the pages with the information on the Humanities Circle. Since that was the first Circle she had found, she had recorded the additional information in those pages first.

* * *

 **Humanities Miraculous Circle**

Name: Honorra. Animal: Magpie. Abstract: Honor. Miraculous: Headband. Food: Rice. Gender: Female: Personality: Exuberant and serious. Phrase: Collecting Items/Scattering. Weapon: Sabre. Powers: Bestowment/Honor Guard. Special Ability: Eye for details.

Name: Ellery. Animal: Elephant. Abstract: Loyalty. Miraculous: Sundial Watch. Food: Spinach. Gender: Female. Personality: Nurturing and steadfast. Phrase: Trumpeting March/Stand. Weapon: Sickle. Powers: Sisterhood/Bonding. Special Ability: Memory recall.

Name: Stuffo. Animal: Panda. Abstract: Peaceful. Miraculous: Chain. Food: Bread. Gender: Male. Personality: Calm and tough. Phrase: Panda Power Up/Down. Weapon: Mirror. Powers: Treaty Signing/Armistice. Special Ability: Poison Resistance.

Name: Bukku. Animal: Sabra Deer. Abstract: Compassion. Miraculous: Belt Buckle. Food: Zucchini. Gender: Male. Personality: Considerate and rowdy. Phrase: Rutting Time/Time Off. Weapon: Antler. Powers: Caring Heart/ Defensive Wall. Special Ability: Heighten Flight or Fight sense.

Name: Huhu. Animal: African Painted Dog. Abstract: Altruism. Miraculous: Glasses. Food: Apples. Gender: Male. Personality: Helpful and sensitive. Phrase: Yip Call/Response. Weapon: Sphere. Powers: Helping Hand/Fencing In. Special Ability: Hypersuasion

Name: Cammi. Animal: Bactrian Camel. Abstract: Patience. Miraculous: Parasol. Food: Oranges. Gender: Female. Personality: Quiet and cheerful. Phrase: Hump Appear/Disappear. Weapon: Mini Umbrella. Powers: Calm Mind/Sitting Still. Special Ability: Environmental Adaptation.

Name: Socco. Animal: Sockeye Salmon. Abstract: Determination. Miraculous: Wallet. Food: Peaches. Gender: Male. Personality: Positive attitude and encouraging. Phrase: Fish Run/Halt. Weapons: Rod. Powers: Hard Work/Standing Tall. Special Ability: Incredible Perseverance.

Name: Gigi. Animal: Genet. Abstract: Awareness. Miraculous: Satchel. Food: Silk Squash. Gender: Female. Personality: Good at listening and giving advice. Phrase: Eyes Glow/Dim. Weapon: Fire and Wind Wheels. Powers: Open Heart/ Distress Call. Special Ability: Enhanced Sensory.

* * *

Ning was pleased with the layout of the information. The illustrations also showed a past user demonstrating one of the items mentioned. For example; there was a person dressed like a camel, smiling as the person crossed the desert.

"Marinette is a very good artist. If I didn't know she made these pictures, I would have thought they had been in the Book forever." The Great Guardian took another sip of his coca. "What about the next Circle? You mentioned there would be a surprise."

Ning tossed her hair back and brought her hand to lips to suppress a giggle. "I believe I found the origin of why many cartoons use song to teach. One, because songs get stuck in your head. Two, all members of the Friendship Miraculous Circle weapons are musical instruments."

* * *

 **Friendship Miraculous Circle**

Name: Redda. Animal: Red Tail Hawk. Abstract: Honesty. Miraculous: Button. Food: Chicken. Gender: Female. Personality: Very affectionate yet firm. Phrase: Thermal Soar/Fall. Weapon: Base Guitar. Powers: Truthful Words/ Tact. Special Ability: Lock On.

Name: Spinney. Animal: African Crested Porcupine. Abstract: Trust. Miraculous: Armlet. Food: Beans: Gender: Male. Personality: Very truthful and cuddly. Phrase: Quills Ready/Steady. Weapon: Electric Guitar. Powers: Promises/Fulfillment. Special Abilities: Quill Defense.

Name: Otto. Animal: Sea otter. Abstract: Fun. Miraculous: Anklet. Food: Peanut Butter. Gender: Male. Personality: Playful and silly. Phrase: Play Easy/ Hard. Weapon: Drums. Powers: Super Surprise/ Friendly Laughter. Special Ability: Underwater Acrobatic Skill.

Name: Yipper. Animal: Dhole. Abstract: Sharing. Miraculous: Patch. Food: Jam. Gender: Male. Personality: Dependable and clingy at times. Phrase: Pack Hidden/Found. Weapon: Keytar. Powers: Teamwork/ Reaching out. Special Ability: Duplication.

Name: Belle. Animal: Cow. Abstract: Confidence. Miraculous: Key chain. Food: Dressing. Gender: Female. Personality: Supportive and brave. Phrase: Walk Home/Out. Weapon: Tambourine. Powers: Belief/ Inner Strength. Special Ability: Infiltration skills.

Name: Hopper. Animal: Bullfrog. Abstract: Sensitivity. Miraculous: ballroom gloves. Food: Garlic. Gender: Male. Personality: Excellent listener and always looks on the bright side. Phrase: On Land/In Water. Weapon: Magic Microphone. Powers: Listening Ears/ Supportive Hug. Special Ability: High Jumps.

Name: Leena. Animal: Lemur. Abstract: Forgiveness. Miraculous: Decorative scarf. Food: Raisins. Gender: Female. Personality: Cheery and a problem solver. Phrase: Vertical Leap/Horizontal. Weapon: Rhythm Guitar. Powers: Fresh Start/ Brave Attempt. Special Abilities: Unique Niche.

Name: Twiggy. Animal: Moose. Abstract: Respect. Miraculous: Cuff Links. Food: Noodles. Gender: Female. Personality: Practical and loves to banter with friends. Phrase: Big Rack/Small. Weapon: Triangle. Powers: Acknowledgment/ Personal Space. Special Abilities: Size Change.

* * *

Honorra and Wayzz floated over to take a look at the newly restored pages in the Book. Honorra had become a bit depressed because the rest of her "siblings" had to return to dormancy, while she stayed awake to recover.

Wayzz, had been attempting to cheer her up. When even funny cat videos didn't help, he suggested they look at Ning's latest accomplishments. "You have beautiful handwriting. Is that your own?"

"Yes, my own unique one. Each identity has a unique handwriting, which is just a mixture of many different samples." Holding out a single finger, Honorra perched on it. "Do you want to read about the next two Circles? Emotions and different genres, might cheer you up."

Honorra nodded and levitated to the Book. She was strong enough now to flip pages on her own, without getting exhausted.

* * *

 **Emotion Miraculous Circle**

Name: Zippy. Animal: Dragonfly. Abstract: Hope. Miraculous: Hair Ribbon. Food: Popcorn. Gender: Male. Personality: Super hopeful and loving. Phrase: Wings Emerge/Submerge. Weapon: Lantern. Powers: Wish/Expanding. Special Abilities: Snatching.

Name: Stella. Animal: Little Brown Bat. Abstract: Happiness. Miraculous: Slip on shoes. Food: Mustard/Seeds. Gender: Female. Personality: Joyous and adventures. Phrase: Rest Down/Rest Up. Weapon: Streamer. Powers: Contagious Joy/ Funny Faces. Special Ability: Echolocation.

Name: Jill. Animal: Opossum. Abstract: Sadness. Miraculous: Handkerchief. Food: Chips. Gender: Female. Personality: Downcast at times and empathetic. Phrase: False Death/ True Life. Weapon: Shield. Powers: Teardrops/ Feeling Blue. Special Ability: Playing Dead.

Name: Arron. Animal: White Rhino. Abstract: Anger. Miraculous: Knuckle Brace. Food: Salt. Gender: Male. Personality: Temperamental and moody. Phrase: Full Charge/Half. Weapon: Darts. Powers: Flaring Temper/ Brick Wall. Special Ability: Rhino charging power.

Name: Sunny. Animal: Spotted Skunk. Abstract: Disgust. Miraculous: Barret. Food: Soup. Gender: Female. Personality: Pushy and reasonable. Phrase: Stink Attack/Retreat. Weapon: Multi Use Capsules. Powers: Gross Out/Dismissive. Special Ability: Stink.

Name: Prickker. Animal: European Hedgehog. Abstract: Fear. Miraculous: Clasp. Food: Cauliflower. Gender: Male. Personality: Shy and cautious. Phrase: Curl Tight/Loosen. Weapon: Flail. Powers: Frayed Nerves: Adrenaline Rush. Special Ability: Extraordinary ability to hide in plain sight.

Name: Flapper. Animal: Flamingo. Abstract: Love. Miraculous: Locket. Food: Shrimp. Gender: Female. Personality: Romantic and dreamy. Phrase: Legs Bend/Straighten. Weapon: Net. Powers: Big Heart/Broken Heart. Special Ability: Incredible Balance.

* * *

Honorra giggled after reading about the Kwamiis of this Circle. "They sound really over the top when it comes to their abstract."

Master Fu lightly rubbed the tiny magpie's head. "Indeed. Part of Kwami's personality is influenced by the abstract which created them."

"Which means the next set will be just as expressive," Wayzz stated. He was sitting on Ning's right shoulder. The little turtle was wiggling in anticipation about the next Circle. He had to admit all his "cousins" were turning out to be incredible.

* * *

 **Genre Miraculous Circle**

Name: Rolly. Animal: Harbor Seal. Abstract: Fantasy. Miraculous: Tiara. Food: Tuna. Gender: Male. Personality: Fanciful and witty. Phrase: Skin Zip/Unzip. Weapon: Wand. Powers: Abracadabra/Pixie Dust. Special Ability: Second Skin.

Name: Chocco. Animal: Gibbon. Abstract: Romance. Miraculous: Shawl. Food: Salami. Gender: Male. Personality: Suave and mature. Phrase: Food Toss/Catch. Weapon: Goblet. Powers: True Love/First Kiss. Special Ability: Mating Call.

Name: Jazz. Animal: Brown Hyena. Abstract: Comedy. Miraculous: Lanyard. Food: Syrup. Gender: Female. Personality: Funny and a bit of a troublemaker. Phrase: Surprise Tackle/Wiggle. Weapon: Bucket. Powers: Whoops a Daisy/Canned Track. Special Ability: Silliness.

Name: Martyy. Animal: Pine Martin. Abstract: Action. Miraculous: Wristlet. Food: Nuts. Gender: Male. Personality: Active and intense. Phrase: Spiral Up/Down. Weapon: Mini fireworks launcher. Powers: Special Effects/Stunt Double. Special Ability: Climbing agility.

Name: Peeachy: Animal: Gila monster. Abstract: Western. Miraculous: Hat. Food: Muffins. Gender: Female. Personality: Wild and plucky. Phrase: Jaws Snap/Release. Weapon: Slingshot. Powers: High Noon/Tumbleweed. Special Abilities: Lizard Bite.

Name: Streek. Animal: Streaked Tenrec. Abstract: Sci-Fi. Miraculous: Star shape badge. Food: Gelatin. Gender: Male: Personality: Smart and logical. Phrase: Niche Filled/Unfilled. Weapon: Tesla. Powers: Futuristic/Hyper Speed. Special Abilities: Ultrasonic Sounds.

Name: Webba. Animal: Golden Orb Spider. Abstract: Horror. Miraculous: Backpack. Food: Vanilla Ice Cream. Gender: Female. Personality: Mildly creepy and trustful. Phrase: Web Spun/Torn. Weapon: Frying Pan. Powers: Overactive Imagination/Monstrous Nightmares. Special Ability: Webbing.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Fu told the person to enter, already knowing who was at the door. "Hello Ms. Marinette. Greetings Mr. Adrien. How was school today?"

"A bit messy," Marinette stated, sweeping her hand down at herself. Indeed, she had paint splattered on her shirt. "Today was our first time in the Art Room, and well, Kim was messing around and most of us got splattered with paint."

Adrien grinned and laughed a little. He didn't get paint splattered on himself. "My father would have thrown a fit if I got covered in paint, so I'm lucky I didn't get hit."

Ning gestured for them to sit down so they could get a good look at the Book. "Both of you were very helpful when it came to restoring the information on these pages. I thought you might want to see it, after all, you just got back from a place where this Circle is most likely to be found.

* * *

 **Academic Miraculous Circle**

Name: Flurry. Animal: Black Footed Ferret. Abstract: Math. Miraculous: Wristband. Food: Granola. Gender: Female. Personality: Rational and gregarious. Phrase: Tunnel Squeeze/Decompress. Weapon: Laser Pointer. Powers: Equation/Problem Solve. Special Ability: Flexibility.

Name: Platter. Animal: Platypus. Abstract: Philosophy. Miraculous: Veil. Food: Fried Dumplings. Gender: Female. Personality: Deep thinker and high sense of morality. Phrase: Six Sense/Five Sense. Weapon: Poison Vials. Powers: Moral Code/ Consequences. Special Ability: Electroreception.

Name: Googly. Animal: Tarsier. Abstract: Art. Miraculous: Sheath. Food: Pie crust. Gender: Male. Personality: Imaginative and inspiring. Phrase: Nighttime Awake/Daytime Sleep. Weapon: Paint brush. Powers: Masterpiece/Erase. Special Abilities: Nocturnal prowess.

Name: Gooey. Animal: Earthworm. Abstract: Literature/terms. Miraculous: Fake flower. Food: Fruit Juice. Gender: Female. Personality: Well-read and friendly. Phrase: Body Stretch/Contract. Weapon: Pen. Powers: Metaphors/Grammar Check. Special Abilities: Slime.

Name: Hermmy. Animal: Hermit Crab. Abstract: Social Science. Miraculous: Sash. Food: Jerky. Gender: Male. Personality: Inquisitive and observant. Phrase: Shuffle Sideways/Diagonally. Weapon: Conch Shell. Powers: Culture/Ritual. Special Ability: Shell Defense.

Name: Slurrpy. Animal: Aardvark. Abstract: Studying. Miraculous: Tie. Food: Cabbage. Gender: Male. Personality: Studious and lively. Phrase: Tongue Slurp/Sip. Weapon: Shovel. Powers: Research/Tutoring. Special Ability: Digging.

Name: Swirrly. Animal: Humpback Whale. Abstract: Speech. Miraculous: Basket. Food: Bologna. Gender: Female. Personality: Talkative and sweet. Phrase: Deep Breath/Shallow. Weapons: Hoop. Powers: Pathos/ Ethos. Special Ability: Omni lingual.

Name: Rexx. Animal: African Pangolin. Abstract: History. Miraculous: Masquerade Mask. Food: Meatballs. Gender: Male. Personality: Detail oriented and hard working. Phrase: Tough Scales/Brittle. Weapon: Jian. Powers: Past Events/Mysterious Find. Special Ability: Body Armor.

* * *

"I wonder if one of the Kwamiis in this Circle, could help me with my homework," Marinette said, as she tapped a finger, on her chin.

"Don't even think that Marinette. I won't have you cheating!" Tikki exclaimed shaking her paw at her chosen.

Plagg rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Hypocrite." His chosen eyebrows raised in surprise.

Adrien would have to ask Plagg later what he was talking about. "Tikki, I'm sure Marinette wouldn't cheat. Hey, I've been wondering more about the elemental creatures. What's the story on them?"

With a change in subject, Ning flipped through the pages and found the ones they wanted. She paused a moment, to admire the calligraphy styled heading.

* * *

 **Elemental Creatures Miraculous Circle.**

Name: Swimmy. Animal: Flying Fish. Abstract: Water. Miraculous: Crew Neck Necklace. Food: Hard candy. Gender: Female. Personality: Soothing and insightful. Phrase: Fins Glide/Land. Weapon: Valari. Powers: High Wave/ Tide Pool. Special Ability: Water Purification.

Name: Flammer. Animal: Salamander. Abstract: Fire. Miraculous: Cuff. Food: Kebob. Gender: Male. Personality: Passionate and active. Phrase: Crawl Outside/Inside. Weapon: Cross Bow. Powers: Fiery Sparks/ Flame Wall. Special Ability: Heat Vision.

Name: Starry. Animal: Star Nose Mole. Abstract: Earth. Miraculous: Cameo. Food: Mushrooms. Gender: Female. Personality: Mellow and kind. Phrase: Dig Down/Up. Weapon: Rondell. Powers: Shifting Rocks/Fissure. Special Ability: Seismic Sense.

Name: Flitter. Animal: Luna Moth. Abstract: Wind. Miraculous: Penannular Broach. Food: Gum. Gender: Female. Personality: Capricious and nice. Phrase: Drawn In/Out. Weapon: Seax Knife. Powers: Easy Breezy/Windstorm. Special Ability: Holding Breath up to twenty minutes.

Name: Griff. Animal: Griffin. Abstract: Metal. Miraculous: Tooth Comb. Food: Pickles. Gender: Male. Personality: Charming and cunning. Phrase: Talon Strike/Clench. Weapon: Fire Iron. Powers: Mechanical Punch/Golden Touch. Special Ability: Magnetism.

Name: Furra. Animal: Polar Bear. Abstract: Ice. Miraculous: Signet Ring. Food: Ham. Gender: Female. Personality: Fierce and stern. Phrase: Paw Forward/Back. Weapon: Signal Whip. Powers: Icicle Storm/Mirror Dome. Special Ability: Frigid Temperature Tolerance.

Name: Howller. Animal: Timberwolf. Abstract: Lightning. Miraculous: Dangly Earrings. Food: Milk. Gender: Male. Personality: Hyper and strong willed. Phrase: Full Howl/Half. Weapon: Obsidian Blade. Powers: Lightning Strike/ Parable Cage. Special Ability: Technopathy.

Name: Cappri. Animal: Big Horn Ram. Abstract: Wood. Miraculous: Gypsy Style Anklet. Food: Onions. Gender: Male. Personality: Serene and protective. Phrase: Bleat Loud/Soft. Weapon: Police Club. Powers: Youthful Sprig/Treehouse. Special Ability: Plant Communication.

Name: Rocco. Animal: Condor. Abstract: Gravity. Miraculous: Medallion. Food: Peas. Gender: Male. Personality: Intimidating and a big softy. Phrase: Hunter Lunge /Retract. Weapon: Bladed Pole. Powers: Gravity Well/Black Hole. Special Ability: Levitation.

Name: Raah. Animal: Scarab. Abstract: Quintessence. Miraculous: Cartouche. Food: Brownies. Gender: Male. Personality: Lively and commanding. Phrase: Roll Up/Down. Weapon: Warhammer. Powers: Energy Burst/Aether. Special Ability: Life Sensor.

Name: Glitter. Animal: Sunbird. Abstract: Light. Miraculous: Bangles. Food: Oatmeal. Gender: Female. Personality: Positive and well liked. Phrase: Sunrise/Set. Weapon: Spear. Powers: Prism/Spotlight. Special Ability: Glowing.

Name: Jaggy. Animal: Jaguar. Abstract: Darkness. Miraculous: Cape. Food: Cinnamon. Gender: Female. Personality. Mysterious and solemn. Phrase: Moonlight/Dark. Weapon: Walking Stick. Powers: Blackest Night/Darkness Curtain. Special Ability: Shadow Manipulation.

* * *

"The Kwamiis listed here are so cool! I think it's amazing they can really bend the elements," Adrien exclaimed happily.

"They aren't really bending them. They just have a connection to them," Marinette pointed out politely. Her throat was parched. "Can I have some hot coco?"

Fu stood up, flexed his back, and then replied he would make more coco. He shuffled into the residential area with Wayzz by his side.

"Can we read more about the Circles please?" Honorra asked with her head tilted up. Rubbing her tiny paws together, she explained. "I really want to know more about my "cousins" please."

"Of course we can. I found the next Circular to be of particular interest to me."

* * *

 **Ideology Miraculous Circle**

Name: Banditto. Animal: Raccoon. Abstract: Aristocracy. Miraculous: Purse. Food: Malasada. Gender: Male. Personality: Domineering and open minded. Phrase: Stealing Thing/Returning. Weapon: Stringed Javelin. Powers: Glorious Treasure/High Society. Special Ability: Sleight of hand tricks.

Name: Carrot. Animal: Donkey. Abstract: Democracy. Miraculous: Tie Clip. Food: Seaweed. Gender: Female. Personality: Stubborn and loquacious. Phrase: Hoof Stomp/Raise. Weapon: Rungu. Powers: Voters Rights/Election Booth. Special Ability: Hard Stomping.

Name: Queen. Animal: Lioness. Abstract: Monarchy. Miraculous: Crown. Food: Cupcakes. Gender: Female. Personality: Regal and strategic. Phrase: Hunt On/Off. Weapon: Khopesh. Powers: Shining Crown/Scepter Spare. Special Ability: Skillful Negotiations.

Name: Blobby. Animal: Walrus. Abstract: Theocracy. Miraculous: Prayer beads. Food: Clams. Gender: Male: Personality: Passive and understanding. Phrase: Blubber Needed/Unneeded. Weapon: Broadsword. Powers: Dharma/Karma. Special Ability: Aura Reading.

Name: Spinner. Animal: Emperor Penguin. Abstract: Feminism. Miraculous: Rubber Bracelet. Food: Anchovies. Gender: Male. Personality: Outgoing and progressive thinking. Phrase: Belly Slide/Back. Weapon: Garrote. Powers: Girl Power/Choice. Special Ability: Projection.

Name: Hipp Animal: Hippo. Abstract: Masculinity. Miraculous: Arm Bands. Food: Edible Flowers. Gender: Male. Personality: Cocky and responsible. Phrase: Tusks Displayed/Hidden. Weapon: Kopis. Powers: Prize Winner/Strong Arm. Special Ability: Super Strength.

Name: Boxxer. Animal: Red Kangaroo. Abstract: Activism. Miraculous: Toe Ring: Food: Bananas. Gender: Female. Personality: Social and kind hearted. Phrase: Tail Arched/Flat. Weapon: Boomerang. Powers: Protesting/Petitions. Special Ability: Preflex.

Name: Danndy. Animal: Groundhog. Abstract: Passivism. Miraculous: Pocket Watch. Food: Grapes. Gender: Female. Personality: Calm and insightful. Phrase: Hibernation Set/Reset. Weapon: Blanket. Powers: Meditation/Non Resistance. Special Ability: Force fields.

* * *

Master Fu came back into the room with more hot coco. The teens graciously took the cups. Marinette inhaled the scent and looked blissful. Taking a sip of the drink, she sighed with contentment.

Adrien took a tiny sip of his. His tongue was on fire due to the heat, but he didn't want to stop drinking this rare treat. "This is very tasty. Do you want some Plagg?"

Plagg waved his paw at him. "The only think that passes these lips, besides wonderful cheese, is apple cider. Ah, I remember one of my chosen worked on a farm. So much cheese and cider."

The cat kwami had a goofy expression on his face as he floated on his back, remembering the good times.

Tikki giggled. "I haven't seen him doing this in over a century. Ah. It's cute."

Wayzz and Honorra both agreed it was cute. Kwamiis all required food and liquids occasionally. Taste may change over the years, but they all enjoyed their special food.

While they left Plagg to drift in his memories, the others flipped to the next Circle. Adrien commented on how it was weird there were so many Miraculous, when many were basically the same thing.

"They may be similes, but each abstract is slightly different. For example; altruism is the act of doing things for another person, while sharing is about two people using one thing. Love is an emotion describing many different feelings, while romance describes courtship rituals. Similar meanings, but quite the same thing," Master Fu explained to the boy.

* * *

 **Seven Virtues Miraculous Circle**

Name: Sanna. Animal: Fossa. Abstract: Chasity. Miraculous: Belt. Food: Pistachios. Gender: Female. Personality: Modest and proper. Phrase: Head Up/Down. Weapon: Rope. Powers: Abstain/Control. Special Abilities: Super Speed.

Name: Balloon. Animal: Koala. Abstract: Temperance. Miraculous: Bangles: Food: Vegemite. Gender: Female. Personality: Very self-controlled and good mannered. Phrase: Pouch Open/Closed. Weapon: Hatchet. Powers: Minimalist/Restriction. Special Ability: Psychic.

Name: Arrow. Animal: Archer Fish. Abstract: Charity. Miraculous: Hoop Earrings. Food: Curry. Gender: Female. Personality: Giving and driven. Phrase: Target Aim/Hit. Weapon: Bow and arrows. Powers: Donation/Reciprocation. Special Abilities: Mimicry.

Name: Squeek. Animal: Red Squirrel. Abstract: Diligence. Miraculous: Detachable Hood. Food: Cereal. Gender: Male. Personality: Thorough and genuine. Phrase: Bushy Tail/Splintered. Weapon: Tonfas. Powers: Steadfast/Double Check. Special Ability: Astral Projection.

Name: Cheeks. Animal: Wild Hamster. Abstract: Mercy. Miraculous: Wedding Veil. Food: Grain. Gender: Male. Personality: Forgiving and understanding. Phrase: Stuffed Cheeks/Empty. Weapon: Escrima Sticks. Powers: Extension/Support. Special Ability: Dimensional Pockets.

Name: Manny. Animal: Manatee. Abstract: Graciousness. Miraculous: Poison Ring. Food: Mangos. Gender: Male. Personality: Grateful and courteous. Phrase: Paddle Forward/Backwards. Weapon: Throwing Stars. Powers: Thanksgiving/Appeasement. Special Ability: Invulnerable.

Name: Goball. Animal: Seahorse. Abstract: Humility. Miraculous: Choker. Food: Milkshakes. Gender: Male. Personality: Humble and magnanimous. Phrase: Color Change/Normal. Weapon: Kunai. Powers: Adios/Reverence. Special Ability: Camouflage.

* * *

"The special abilities of each Miraculous certainly are diverse. I can understand why a seahorse would have camouflage, they can do that in reality. But, I don't understand why a manatee would have invulnerability," Adrien commented off hand.

Ning read over the special abilities again, even though she knew them by heart, and thought about the abilities for a few minutes. "It would seem the special abilities have more to do with balancing the abstract or the animal nature out. For example, koalas are not as cute and docile as one might think.

In fact, male koalas are aggressive to each other and will fight against one another when it comes to food sources and females. Yet the koala has very small brain for its size due to their diet, so a special ability like being a psychic would come in handy during a fight."

Adrien was surprised by the fact, Ning knew so much about animals. He didn't know how that related to her purpose in life. Maybe it was a hobby of hers.

"The purpose of the Miraculous is to keep balance, while Kwamiis help humans through their abstract nature," Fu explained, giving his Apprentice a look of approval for figuring out the relation between the Kwamiis and special abilities.

"Why don't we look at the next Circle? I'm still having trouble with the idea that religious beliefs created magical objects," Wayzz stated. Indeed, he still had a puzzled expression on his face.

* * *

 **Religious Miraculous Circle**

Name: Holly. Animal: Dove. Abstract: Heaven. Miraculous: Halo. Food: Donuts. Gender: Female. Personality: Devoted and innocent minded. Phrase: Winged Messenger/Sender. Weapon: Bell. Powers: Angel Wings/Heavenly Gates. Special Ability: Flight.

Name: Scorppio. Animal: Desert Scorpion. Abstract: Hell. Miraculous: Chain. Food: Celery. Gender: Male. Personality: Aloof and remorseful. Phrase: Stinger Strike/Pull Out. Weapon: Mace. Powers: Demon Fire/Hell Obelisk. Special Ability: Mind Transfer.

Name: Sniffer. Animal: Warthog. Abstract: Limbo. Miraculous: Friendship Bracelet. Food: Melons. Gender: Male. Personality: Indecisive and perceptive. Phrase: Tusk Right/Tusk Left. Weapon: Key. Powers: In Between/Stasis. Special Ability: Teleportation.

Name: Sheeba. Animal. Praying Mantis. Abstract: Prayer. Miraculous: Beaded Necklace. Food: Potatoes. Gender: Female. Personality: Polished and resourceful. Phrase: Prey Close/Farther. Weapon: Candle. Powers: Deliverance/Personal Sign. Special Ability: Summoning.

Name: Divaa. Animal: Manta Ray. Abstract: Faith. Miraculous: Armlet. Food: Tomatoes. Gender: Female. Personality: Amiable and benevolent. Phrase: Big Flip/Small. Weapon: Trident. Powers: Enlightenment/Unseen. Special Abilities: Stealth.

Name: Runner. Animal: Tasmanian tiger. Abstract: Soul. Miraculous: Sash Belt. Food: Hamburger. Gender: Male. Personality: Debonair and earnest. Phrase: Long Gait/Short. Weapon: Scroll. Powers: Soulmate/Soulfire. Special Ability: Invisibility.

Name: Tazzy. Animal: Tasmanian devil. Abstract: Glory. Miraculous: Goggles. Food: Lemons. Gender: Male. Personality: Felicific and neat. Phrase: Scavenger Yes/No. Weapon: Hourglass. Powers: Everlasting Light/Praise. Special Ability: Eye Beams.

Name: Vollo. Animal: Electric Eel. Abstract: Divinity. Miraculous: Anklet. Food: Crackers. Gender: Male. Personality: Spontaneous and innovated. Phrase: Electric Swish/Splash. Weapon: Stun Gun. Powers: Chosen Prophet/Ichor. Special Ability: Phasing.

Name: Raffa. Animal: Giraffe. Abstract: Miracle. Miraculous: Leg bands. Food: Cherries. Gender: Female. Personality: Selfless and colorful. Phrase: Long Neck/Short. Weapon: Grail. Powers: Eternally Blessed/Contract Terms. Special Ability: Talk to animals.

* * *

Wayzz still shook his head. "Even with reading the information on this Circle and what their powers are, still hasn't given me a clear understanding of the relationship between these abstracts and magic."

"Perhaps, you'll never understand. Life is always going to be filled with mysteries," Honorra responded to her fellow kwami.

Plagg, who had come out of his daydream, stretched. "How many more Circles are there to read about? This feels like it's been going on forever."

Tikki flew over to Plagg and lightly smacked his face. "Why can't you do anything without complaining? For once it would be nice to get through a meeting without hearing you whine?"

Plagg huffed and crossed his arms before lowering his head, promising not to complain anymore.

"Cheer up Plagg. This is the last of the lost Circles to read about. I'm sure your "cousins" appreciate you getting to know them better," Ning told the little god after stroking his back.

* * *

 **Civil Rights Miraculous Circle**

Name: Lall. Animal: Lobster. Abstract: Justice. Miraculous: Police Shield. Food: Smoothie. Gender: Female. Personality: Orderly and perceptive. Phrase: Pincer Pinch/Scratch. Weapon: Scales. Powers: Pursuant/Conviction. Special Abilities: Creating a home field advantage.

Name: Zeek. Animal: Zebra. Abstract: Equality. Miraculous: Wristlet. Food: Coffee. Gender: Male. Personality: Ambitious and captivating. Phrase: Stripes Zigzag/Straight. Weapon: Flags. Powers: Peaceful March/Protest. Special Ability: Kinetic blast.

Name: Phill. Animal: Bald Eagle. Abstract: Liberty. Miraculous: Torc. Food: Vegetable Juice. Gender: Male. Personality: Dynamic and enthusiastic. Phrase: Bird Pose/Fly. Weapon: Tree Branch. Powers: Liberation/Slogan. Special Ability: X-ray vision.

Name: Elffa. Animal: Elf Owl. Abstract: Judgement. Miraculous: Cloak. Food: Olives. Gender: Female. Personality: Brilliant and assertive. Phrase: Extreme Hearing/Normal. Weapon: Katana. Powers: Weighing In/Discretion. Special Ability: Increased intelligence.

Name: Kiki. Animal: Kinkajou. Abstract: Innocence. Miraculous: Pendent. Food: Limes. Gender: Female. Personality: Conciliatory and dignified. Phrase: Pollination Duty/Rest. Weapon: Feather. Powers: Proof/Testimony. Special Ability: Precognitive.

Name: Snapperfur. Animal: Nile crocodile. Abstract: Guilt. Miraculous: Gloves. Food: Broccoli. Gender: Female. Personality: Dominating and vivacious. Phrase: Mouth Wide/Shut. Weapon: Maori Mere. Powers: Jury Peers/ Plea Deal. Special Ability: Hypnosis.

Name: Tuffy. Animal: Wolverine. Abstract: Exoneration. Miraculous: Broach. Food: Pineapple. Gender: Male. Personality: Self-sufficient and optimistic. Phrase: Temper Flared/Calmed. Weapon: Grappling Hook. Powers: Second Chance/ Redemption. Special Ability: Vibes.

* * *

"That's all off them. If there is ever a reason to distribute the other Circles, we know everything about the Kwamiis. Each serves a grand purpose. Are you sure you can keep them all safe?" Ning asked her mentor anxiously.

"I am a hundred and eighty three years old Ning. I may live until I'm a two hundred and twenty, or I could die next year," Master Fu intoned to her. "No matter how long I live, until my dying breath, I will care for the Miraculouses."

Marinette slipped one hand into Adrien's, the other into Master Fu's. With a determined look on her face, she promised, "All of us will keep the Miraculous safe. No one is going to steal or misuse the Miraculous again."

Adrien chuckled. "Hawkmoth doesn't know what's going to hit him when we finally fight the ultimate battle."

The Kwamiis nodded in agreement making Ning feel content. If there was anything she had learned on her quest, it was that anyone could be a good person, but the greatest people in the world were those who believed in you.


End file.
